


25 Days of 2020

by Wynja



Category: Deathstroke the Terminator (Comics), Teen Titans (Animated Series), Teen Titans (Comics)
Genre: M/M, Sladin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:27:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 36,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27812266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wynja/pseuds/Wynja
Summary: It was going to be a different December due to Corona. A different kind of Christmas. Robin was ready for it to be calm, quiet, and rather boring. He also knew he would spend it mostly alone. He was very wrong. (Slash, Sladin)
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Slade Wilson
Comments: 108
Kudos: 128





	1. Tuesday, 1 December ~* That’s *~

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: welcome to a Sladin advent calendar! One part is posted every day up to the 25’th of December. Times of day may vary, and as I’m in Sweden the dates might not always match, thanks to time differences and such, but hey.   
> Also, each chapter is VERY short. 1-3 pages or so in general. Or I’d die. And yeah, I mean, I know what you would pick, but I still rather like to have me around from time to time, so I’m gonna pick my life over long chapters. This time. 😉 
> 
> There’s no need to review every day, but please let me know that you’re here and reading, that would make me very happy!

Robin was humming to himself as he was going through the box of Christmas decorations that Alfred had given him for his new apartment. His very first apartment of his own. He was living as Dick Grayson now, temporarily, but had spent too long as Robin to really think of himself by any other name. He guessed it would come, though. He was barely one semester in at Gotham University, and he was still a bit unused to the idea of being a civilian again. He was sure it had been the right choice, though. He had needed to get away, and he didn’t want to miss a chance for a proper education… who knew how long this hero-gig would last anyway?

When he used to picture university life before, he had pictured seminars, new friends, a party or three… but Corona had hit, and by the time he started after summer, all classes were online. 

Bruce and Alfred had supported him fully, even when he had told Batman that he thought he should focus on his studies instead of being out during the night fighting crime. If Batman needed him, of course he’d be there, but the man had just smiled at him and told him it was the smart choice. Many took a few years off from studying, to work or travel, he would just do the opposite. Robin was glad for the support. More than glad, because he had to rely on Bruce paying for mostly everything, including the apartment. He had been hesitant to ask, but he desperately wanted to live on his own, be an actual adult, and not at home at the manor or with roommates. Bruce had understood and Robin had picked a decent, but not too top notch, apartment. He didn’t want to waste the man’s money, and he lived frugally otherwise. He had planned on getting a job, but with the pandemic raging, that wasn’t as easy as he had thought. He did some food deliveries for local restaurants on his bike a few evenings a week, mostly for the exercise, but the tip from certain regulars could be nice sometimes. Robin blushed a bit, thinking about it. He knew that certain men and women tipped him based on his looks, and he flirted back. Never going too far, of course, but it was nice to be… seen. It was also nice to not having to be a role model who couldn’t as much as cuss unless he wanted ‘concerned parents’ to flood their social media about how they thought he should be able to save their tyke’s lives without exposing them to the horrible reality of a ‘bad word’. He had more and more, felt like he was playing a role his last couple of years with the Teen Titans. And, by the end, he had been very tired of it.

The Titans themselves were of course still his friends. But they were across the continent, busy with their stuff while he was busy with his.

He chuckled as he found a dreadful looking Santa-figure made, badly, out of felt and odd pieces of craft supplies. He had made it himself in school, he remembered it clearly. This was before he had found out that the man he was suddenly living with, was Batman. He held the thing for a while, remembering, and then placed it carefully on his bookshelf.

He took a sip of tea. It was from a tea advent calendar that Alfred had given it to him, as a bit of a joke; behind each cardboard door was a bag of tea, different flavors each day. He wasn’t a big tea drinker, really, but he had decided that this was going to be his December thing; a cup of tea in the morning, long breakfasts before school or work. Relaxing. Contemplating. Stillness. The tea tasted of apple and cinnamon, and he really felt like Christmas was coming. He smiled at the strange looking Santa and put the mug down again, in favor of the Christmas box.

Alfred had packed all kinds of decorations, including fairy lights and Christmas towels, but those Robin decided to hang on to for a while. It was only the first of December, after all. He was about to reach for the next thing in the box when his phone rang. He checked the number and grinned.

“Hi, Al! I’ve just started decorating, what’s up?”

“Now, don’t forget the reading you had to do before class tomorrow, Master Richard,” the old man, who somehow always seemed to know his study schedule, warned him. He sounded pleased, though.

“I promise,” Robin chuckled. “But I’m guessing you’re not calling to scold me… nothing is wrong, is it?”

“Nothing as far as I am aware, sir,” the man said airily, meaning the mansion could be on fire, but Al just had it in hand. “I wanted to inquire, however… did you plan to go to Jump City for the holidays?”

“No, I’m staying right here, we have a paper to write, due January,” Robin said.

“Ah. Good.” The man sounded delighted. “So, may I take that to mean as you are going to join us for Christmas dinner?”

“Of course!” The teen laughed. “I’m feeling hungry just thinking about it. Who else will be there?”

“It will be just us. And…. Miss Carson.”

“Ah.”

“I have to admit that the young lady… well…” Alfred sounded very uncomfortable and Robin snorted.

“I don’t like her either… she’s… too self-absorbed,” Robin said. “But dinner will make up for it, I’m sure.”

“If you would like to bring a… gentleman of your own…?” Alfred said.

“Thank you. I’m not dating anyone at the moment, as you know, but we’ll see,” Robin said lightly, trying to ignore a stab of pain. His last relationship had… not ended well. It had also led to Al and Bruce finding out that he was gay, something he hadn’t exactly hidden, but might not have been quite ready to divulge right then either, as it had been very new to him as well. He mentally shook his head. Water under the bridge. It was a few months short of a year ago, he had to move on.

“Yes, well, there’s plenty of room at the table,” Alfred told him. “Can we expect you on Sunday for lunch?”

“Yes, please.” Robin’s spirits were lifted. Miss Mallory Carson, Bruce’s latest love interest, never joined them on Sundays, claiming she needed to spend those days at some spa or other, to feel refreshed for the coming week. He preferred it if she wasn’t there. It wasn’t like she was nasty in any way, she just… didn’t quite fit.

After hanging up, the phone rang almost immediately. It was the Chinese restaurant on the corner asking if he could pick up an extra shift tomorrow. Robin agreed, then put the rest of the decorations away with a sigh. If he was going to work tomorrow night, which he needed to, to buy presents for Al, Bruce and, he supposed, Mallory, he would need to read a bit more today than he had originally planned. Studying it was. He sank down in an old, comfy arm chair that he had inherited from the manor, and started reading. He had a small smile on his lips. He was sure it was going to be a great December.

_To be Continued…_


	2. Wednesday, 2 December ~* The *~

Robin was sitting in front of his laptop, yawning and listening to the lecture. His camera and mike were turned off, just like the rest of the class. He had no idea what many of his classmates looked like, because most teachers were fine with them having the camera off. He was sipping on a mug of black tea with notes or oranges and rose petals. Not a favorite, but it wasn’t too bad.

The subject was interesting, but the lecture had gone on for an hour and was scheduled to last for one more. It was just too exhausting to focus for that long. He couldn’t help but long for work that night. He chuckled to himself. He, a Teen Titan, finding a delivery job exciting? But he didn’t regret things, not really, it was just the pandemic that had made things drearier. That, and the political turmoil the U.S was in right now, but he didn’t want to think about that either.

The job meant moving, and moving fast. He loved pushing himself and always got the food to customers at a record time. Moving around the inner city also meant that, sometimes, he could help people. He wasn’t actively looking for trouble, but he had stopped a few people from breaking into cars, and one mugging. With fewer people out, crime of that sort had gone down some, even Bruce had complained about being bored the other day.

Robin had had to change the way he thought about himself since becoming a civilian. At first, it had been very difficult to let go of the guilt he felt for not being a hero anymore. At first, every news story of a crime he had read, made him wonder if he could have stopped it. Bruce had talked to him many times about this, and it had helped. Now he only felt a pang of guilt when he read or heard about something in his own neighborhood, and when he was out on his bike, it felt a bit like patrolling, after all... It was as close as he could allow himself to get right now. 

“Thanks, Dick, glad you delivered tonight. Then at least it will be hot,” the blond man smiled at him.

“I try my best,” he answered with a grin behind his facemask.

The man winked at him, and handed him a 5 dollar tip. “I hope to see you again soon,” he said, just enough of a suggestion in his voice to keep it proper.

“Hope you’re hungry Friday,” Robin grinned back and waved goodbye. The guy wasn’t quite his type, a bit on the skinny side, but he seemed nice enough. If he asked him out, Robin might accept, he decided.

This was his last delivery for this run. He biked back to the restaurant at a slightly more leisurely pace, even though no one could call it ‘slow’.

He picked up the orders for his last round of the evening, and the last order on it was in a new building. Or… new and new, it looked ready to be torn down. Several doors were open, apartments gaping empty. Robin’s senses were all on high alert, delivery personnel were sometimes lured away to get mugged, and it seldom ended there. When he reached the door there was no doorbell, so he knocked and stepped away. Safe corona distance, and all that, plus… well… this was a creepy place. Whoever lived here probably had a few things checked on their creepy-list as well.

The door opened almost immediately, and Robin froze.

“You?!” he eventually got out.

“Hello, Robin. Or is it Richard now?” The tall, whitehaired man was leaning against the doorframe, looking perfectly at ease. Robin’s feelings didn’t exactly match.

“What the hell are you doing here, Slade?!” he asked.

“Looking for you. Spotted you the other night delivering food. Figured that if I bought enough stuff from that restaurant you’d eventually show up.”

Robin’s address was, of course, not listed. Having people know where the ward of the city’s billionaire lived wasn’t the best idea. He had also been lying very low, mostly due to the pandemic. Slade must have worked damn hard to ‘happen’ to spot him. The teen didn’t for a moment believe that it was an accident.

“What do you want?” Robin growled, and then raised his free hand. “No, stop, why am I even asking? I don’t _care_ what you want! Just get the fuck out of my life! You should know how, you’ve _practiced_ , after all.” He shoved the food into the man’s chest and turned around to leave.

“I need your help.”

Without missing a beat, Robin flipped the man behind him off and continued walking.

_To be Continued…_


	3. Thursday, 3 December ~* Lesson *~

Robin woke with a start. He had dreamt about Slade. It had been a nightmare. Maybe. He felt his jaws ache. He must have clenched them in his sleep. He rolled over on his stomach and hit his pillow in frustration. Why, _WHY_ was he back? Why now, why when he had started to feel…. Ok, again!?

After Trigon, Slade had become more of a kinda-sorta ally than an enemy to the Titans. Especially as he revealed that he had been able to save Terra, although she had unfortunately, or fortunately, lost her memory and powers and were now living like a normal teen. Slade had scored more points with them when he had helped them to defeat the Brotherhood of Evil, and slowly things had started to change between them. Or maybe, Robin had later thought, it had always been there, but now he was ready and able to let himself feel it. They had become… close. And then… Robin shook his head, trying to clear it of the memories, pushing them aside. Slade was a complete and utter bastard. He had learned that now, once and for all. He wouldn’t let himself be fooled again.

It was five in the morning, but he couldn’t sleep anymore. He rolled out of bed, careful not to turn the lights on. He had spoken to the owners of the restaurant, letting them know not to give out any information about him no matter who asked, but Slade would suspect that he was living close by. He might be watching the building, and he knew Robin very seldom slept in. He therefore went through is morning workout regime in the dark and then took a long, hot shower. The bathroom, luckily, didn’t have any windows, so he didn’t have to do that in the dark as well. When he was done it was almost six-thirty and he heard some of his neighbors waking up. It should be ‘safe’ to turn the lights on now, but he strategically closed the blinds by the window he worked at before doing so. Closing all the blinds would look suspicious too. Robin chuckled to himself. Trying to avoid Slade sure made one neurotic. And he also knew it wouldn’t help. Slade would find him sooner or later, probably sooner, whatever he did. But at least he could make it a little bit frustrating for the man.

The silence was the one thing he loved most when it came to living on his own. He thought he’d get lonely, that he’d grow tired of it after a while, but so far, he hadn’t. He put the kettle on, something else he had been given by Alfred, and made some porridge in the microwave. He sweetened the porridge with banana, a sturdy and healthy breakfast, grabbed an orange to go with it, and fixed the tea. Today’s flavor was raspberry, and after a sip he decided that he liked it. It went well with his fruit-themed breakfast.

He carried his breakfast to the living room, placed it on a small table next to his reading chair and sat down, balancing the porridge and a book on his lap, idly reading, while enjoying the food. His eyes travelled to the window again, and again, though.

What did he need help with? His help?

He frowned and shook his head again. Not much later, his eyes were back at the window, but this time he was thinking about something else. Escape routes. Problem was; there was none. When he had been looking at apartments, he had willfully gone against all his ‘hero-instincts’. He was a civilian, so he didn’t need an apartment on the top floor with easy access to the roof. He didn’t need a building with ledges and nifty features like gargoyles to provide hand- and footholds for climbing, or places for his grapple hook to fasten. So, he was now trapped. This building was fairly modern, with a smooth façade. It had one way in and one way out. That was it. No way to try to sneak anywhere. Dammit. He shook his head again. One hour to class. He needed to focus.

He didn’t have work that night and his fridge was full, so he didn’t have to go out. Of course, he was aching for a run after a long day in front of the computer, but he just knew Slade would find him if he even poked his nose outside.

He paced the apartment after trying to read, watch Netflix and even game a bit. Nothing satisfied his urge to _move_. At around eight he finally snapped.

“Fuck it! He’s gonna find me anyway!” he grunted to himself.

He threw on his running clothes and a facemask, and left the apartment. He fully expected the mercenary to pop out of thin air the moment he stepped out on the street, but that didn’t happen. Slade still hadn’t shown up an hour later, when Robin returned home.

 _Good,_ he thought to himself. But it didn’t match the way he felt.

_To be Continued…_


	4. Friday, 4 December ~* Of *~

He only had one lecture on Fridays, first thing in the morning. It was normally easy to stay focused for that, as it was only an hour, but today was different. He was strangely… nervous. Tense. Like he expected someone to burst through the door at any moment. Who that someone was, was of course obvious? He had kept drinking his tea while it was a bit too hot, just because of nerves, and the ginger and lemon tea had managed to burn the tip of his tongue a bit.

Nothing happened, of course, and he spent the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon studying as much as he could, and then it was time for work. Work kept him busy enough to almost forget about the whole thing, for just a while, although he was a bit more distant with his regulars. And then the order came. Again, it was late, and Robin almost wanted to turn it over to one of the other delivery people, but he knew that was cowardly. And he wasn’t a coward.

This time, while entering the building, he wasn’t as careful. If any bad elements had been skulking around, they would have taken one look at Slade and quietly left. He had that sort of face. Well. Not _ugly_ , just… well, he had that ‘if looks could kill’-thing down to a degree that it was close to coming true.

He knocked on the door and when it opened, he glared at the man and held out the bag. Slade smirked at him and held out something in return. Money. Forty bucks.

“The food is pre-paid,” Robin scoffed, although he of course knew that there was nothing close to forty dollars’ worth of food in the bag.

“It’s a tip.”

The former hero laughed dryly. “No thanks. Last time I accepted a _tip_ of yours, it didn’t exactly end well.”

“About that-”

“Nope, not interested, fuck off,” Robin snapped, dropped the bag at the man’s feet as he hadn’t taken it, turned around and walked away.

He heard a curse muttered behind him and the next moment he was pulled around and pushed up against the wall.

The man pulled the teen’s facemask off with a yank, like it somehow offended him. Slade looked… rather miffed. Robin felt his pulse quicken. He had not expected to be in danger from the man, not at all, but maybe-?

“Have you forgotten who I am, Grayson?” Slade growled.

Robin swallowed, but stood as firm as he could with the man’s body pinning him against the wall.

“No. But I lost all respect for you,” he spat.

Slade’s single eye narrowed and his gazed drilled into him for a moment. Then, suddenly, the man half chuckled, half scoffed. “Ow. That actually hurt.”

“You have no idea what fucking hurts!” Robin snarled, and tried to lash out at the man, unsuccessfully. “Let me go!”

“No. Because you’re going to run away again, and not let me explain.”

“There’s nothing to explain! You’re a bastard, and that’s it!”

“Well. Yes, but not in the way you think.”

“Sure, I’m sure you have a great explanation for doing what you did!” Robin snorted.

Slade sighed. “Yes. I’ve been trying to tell you. I do. Will you listen?”

“Do you care?” Robin snorted.

“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”

That gave the teen pause. Slade didn’t often admit he had feelings, although Robin was very well aware that he did. Or he though he had. Until…

“Fine. Sure. I’ll listen. But I have one more delivery. I’ll come by after, ok?”

“If you don’t, I’ll be in your apartment when you wake up tomorrow. Making breakfast, of course, it wasn’t a threat,” the man claimed with a half-smirk.

“Cute,” the teen muttered and pulled himself free, only because Slade let him, of course. “And you should wear a mask!” he added as he stomped off, pulling his own on again.

“Why? Can’t catch anything, can’t infect anyone,” the man called after him.

“Some are luckier than they deserve,” Robin muttered and was off. The man might have heard him, at least there was a chuckle far behind him.

When he arrived back at the restaurant there was a bit of an emergency as someone had called in sick, and several more deliveries were waiting to go out. Robin took them on, feeling that Slade sure as hell could wait for him. It would serve him right, considering that Robin had had to wait for him. In vain. He finally was done, a little over two hours later, and was standing by his bike, trying to make up his mind. He was sweaty after work, half drenched, in fact. Should he shower and change? But why? What did he care if Slade thought he smelled? Why the hell would he clean up for that piece of trash?

He had biked half way to the building when he turned back to go home and shower.

“I thought I’d have to go pick up egg and bacon,” Slade almost muttered as he opened the door.

Robin snorted and walked in. “I had to work overtime,” he said, feeling like he at least owed the man a bit of an explanation. “Now say what you wanted to say. I want to go home and sleep.” He looked around the apartment and was shocked at what a dump it was. It was completely bare. Through an open door, Robin could see into a bedroom with what looked like a cheap camping sleeping mat on the floor. There was nothing else. The remains of delivered meals were stacked up in the kitchen, and it didn’t even look like there was running water. There was still electricity in the house, though, and the place was lit by a naked bulb hanging from the ceiling. “Cozy,” he added.

“We’ll get to home styling later, I’m sure,” Slade drawled. “So… missed me?”

“Ok, I’m out of here,” Robin decided and walked towards the door. He was almost immediately caught, and gave the man an icy glare to rival Batman’s.

“That was a bad… joke,” Slade conceded. “I apologize.”

That was rare as well, so the teen nodded stiffly.

“Fine, just tell me. Why did you leave?” He was let go, although apparently a bit reluctantly.

“I didn’t,” Slade started, and when Robin opened his mouth, he raised his hands. “Not willingly.”

The teen blinked.

“What?”

“I was…” the man made a grimace like he was about to be forced to talk about his hemorrhoids and their effect on his latest bowel movement, “kidnapped.”

Robin burst out laughing.

“Sure. Yeah. Someone in a white van offer you candy? Try something else,” he snorted.

“For the love of…” Slade grunted and ran his hand over his face. “It’s true! I was not paying attention, having other things on my mind as you can imagine, and I got hit with enough tranqs to put a whole heard of elephants to sleep.”

“And I didn’t notice all this, because…?”

“It happened out on the street-”

“Exactly! Because you had left!”

“Grayson- fuck it, ROBIN, listen to me. Yes. I left. To buy us breakfast.”

“Sure.”

“It’s the truth. I was supposed to be gone fifteen minutes, max. You were deeply asleep. I didn’t bother to leave a note, because I’d be back before you woke up.”

Robin wanted to believe him. He really did. But it was almost too painful to even try…

_To be Continued…_


	5. Saturday, 5 December ~* Life,*~

It was past midnight and it had been a long day. Week. Year. Robin closed his eyes briefly. “I woke up and you were gone,” he said softly.

“I know.” The man’s voice had a soft quality to it too.

“It… it was… it was our first… my first…” He had to stop himself, because he felt all that pain flowing back, and tears welling up into his eyes.

“I know. Robin, I’m back. And I’m going to make them pay. The people who took me. I’ve tracked them here.”

“How… How long did… when did you escape?”

“Two weeks.”

“TWO WEEKS?! You don’t even- mmmpf!” Slade had put a hand over his mouth, and amused expression in his eye.

“Easy there. You were the one disappearing this time, remember? I suspected you had come back here, but I knew the people I’m after would try to wipe their tracks, I had to move quickly. I had to… prioritize.”

“Great. Thanks,” the teen said sarcastically when Slade removed his hand.

“Deal with it. This is serious. If these people aren’t stopped, the world would long for the days it only had Corona to worry about.”

The teen knew that objecting to that claim would make him look selfish, so he didn’t. “Tell me what’s going on, then. And why do you need my help?”

“I need access to the Batcave. The computer system specifically. And Bruce is most likely not a fan right now, is he?”

“Was he ever?” the former hero muttered. Batman _did_ know about them, as he had helped Robin to cope, and yeah… Slade should probably not ask on his own. “What do you need to do? Who are you trying to find and why?” he demanded to know, not willing to promise anything before he had all the details.

“The people who kidnapped me. Well, the actual people are dead, but the ones behind them. The core of the organization.”

“And why-” Robin started but Slade chuckled.

“I’m going to answer all your questions if you just have a little patience, Robin. You don’t mind if I still call you Robin, do you?”

“No. As long as we’re not in public,” the teen shrugged. “I’m having trouble thinking of myself as Dick Grayson anyway. But keep going. Why were you kidnapped?”

“Because of Corona.”

“Corona hadn’t even started back then!”

“The first reports came in in December last year. It took a few more months to reach the general public, but some people knew what it was even back then, and what was likely going to happen. They decided to round up meta humans with known healing abilities and… do tests on them.”

“W-what?” Robin gaped, horrified. He reached out for the man briefly, but his hands dropped to his side again. “Are… are you okay?”

“Somewhat. They also wanted to see if they could create a cure or a vaccine from our tissue and blood. You can take quite a lot of that from someone who heals up afterwards.”

“That’s… that’s… I mean… if it was voluntarily, because a cure or vaccine would be great, but…”

“They couldn’t get anything like that to work. Unfortunately, they found something worse. The substance and the gene that made my transformation to a meta human possible. The other people in that experiment died, I survived. These people now know how and why, and they might be able to replicate it.”

“Super human army?” Robin asked.

“In today’s day and age that might be wasting resources. Warfare isn’t so much about manpower anymore, after all… but a fleet of assassins, at the beck and call of one power? They can cripple a country in hours, as long as they are sent to kill the right targets. And if the power behind them already have installed their own people to take over, a country can practically be signed over to another within days. A takeover with minimal damage, granted, but still.”

“And… they are here? In Gotham?”

“I… _asked_ a select few of the people in the base I was being kept, and they all confirmed that samples had been sent here. I destroyed that base, completely, but I need to find the rest too. And to do that, I need help. The computer in the Batcave can help me search.”

Robin just sorted through things for a moment and then nodded.

“Of course. Now?”

“Time is of the essence, but I’m meeting a contact soon, who might have more information that I need. Go home, sleep, I’ll come by your place tomorrow.”

“You know where I live?” Robin asked, not really doubting it, but wanting to confirm.

“Of course,” Slade smirked and suddenly pulled him close. “So… now when you know the truth…” the purred. “Missed me?”

The teen pushed him away, almost in a panic.

“I- I don’t- I can’t-” the started. He then aimed for the door. “I have to go!”

The teen battled with his feelings all the way home. He _did_ trust Slade to have told the truth, it wasn’t that. If Slade would have made up an excuse, it would never be one that painted him as a victim like that, nor would he involve Batman. He should be able to just let it go, as there was nothing to forgive. Slade hadn’t intentionally hurt him. But the thought of the man was so firmly connected to the pain he had felt, that it was now difficult for him to separate them. It was hard to see Slade as anything other than the monster he had painted him as for almost a year. He guessed he just needed some time…

He slept like a dead man for seven hours, waking up at eight in the morning. He made himself his tea, which today was a Ceylon black tea which was supposed to have soft caramel and cocoa notes, but Robin wasn’t sure he could taste much of those.

Saturdays were usually free days for him. He tended to study, of course, but he usually didn’t work. He also normally put in some extra effort into working out, but today he didn’t want to leave the apartment, as he didn’t know when Slade would show up. He had expected him in the morning, but the hours dragged by.

When the doorbell rang, he flew up from his chair. Outside, however, was no mercenary, but a small kid, maybe around ten.

“Hi, are you Grayson?” the boy asked.

“Um… yes?”

“I was supposed to give this to you, and you were supposed to give me money,” he was told firmly, and was handed a grubby-looking piece of paper.

Robin took it and read it through. It was short and to the point.

‘Can’t make it today. Will be there tomorrow. S.’

“Great,” Robin muttered.

“Sir? My money?” insisted the kid. Robin dug around, found him a few dollar bills, and closed the door. At least it was nice of Slade to send word, although why didn’t the man just call? Robin then realized that he probably didn’t have his number. At least this meant that he didn’t have to stay at home anymore, so he put on his running clothes again. Maybe a good run would help him work through his feelings, he figured. 

_To be Continued…_


	6. Sunday, 6 December ~* Isn’t *~

Waking up at six on a Sunday morning, when you didn’t have any specific plans, should be against the law. Robin, however, had a good reason. He smelled food. And coffee. He sat up in bed, confused, and then realized what must be going on. He stormed into the kitchen.

“The hell, Slade?!” he roared.

“Good morning, sunshine,” the man, who was frying eggs, drawled.

“Why didn’t you ring the doorbell like a normal person?” the teen demanded to know.

Slade gave him a look that said that the man was disgusted by the very thought of being considered a ‘normal person’, and then shrugged. “I owed you a breakfast. And, honestly, this is a better one. The original was just coffee and doughnuts.”

Robin wrapped his arms around himself while looking down at the floor. “I still wish I had gotten that one,” he mumbled.

“Me too,” Slade answered seriously.

“I’m… gonna get dressed,” the teen, who was just in his pajama pants, said.

“Pity.”

“Slade…” Robin said warningly.

The man just raised a hand in defeat as he flipped the eggs in the pan with the other one. “Breakfast in two minutes.”

They ate in relative silence. Robin noticed that Slade was eating a lot, and quite quickly too. There was breakfast here for at least five people, and it didn’t seem like there would be any leftovers. He still could barely look at the man without a plethora of negative feelings welling up inside him. He tried to combat them, though, and started by asking the man some questions.

“So… busy yesterday?” he asked while sipping this morning’s tea. Mint. He was trying very hard not to be snappy with the man. His basic reaction around him was still anger, even though he knew that being angry with Slade like this was like being angry with someone because of what they did to you in a dream. It made no sense, but the emotion was still there, and had to be smothered.

“A bit, yes. And then a house fell on top of me.”

Robin spluttered. Almost choking on a piece of bacon. “What?”

“The house I was living in. I knew it was about to be torn down, just now how soon. But I got out in time, I was exaggerating,” he said with a small smile.

“So… where are you staying now?” Robin asked, because he wanted to keep tabs on the man.

“Nowhere. I was hoping I could stay here,” Slade told him, a bit guardedly, like he knew that the teen would say no.

“W-why don’t… you just… get a hotel room?” Robin asked.

“No money,” Slade shrugged.

“Um… you offered to tip me forty bucks the other day,” he reminded the man. “And you have been ordering take out every day.”

“Not my money. Hotels often have a bit better security, and I don’t have enough cash. Or ID.”

“But… I mean… in Jump…?”

“Yes, yes, I have funds, I just can’t access them without a phone or a computer. And public ones are not safe enough.”

“You don’t have a phone? You called for food…?”

“Borrowed a phone at a store in the area,” the man shrugged.

Robin now really looked at the man. He looked… worn. Thinner. His skin was white and red all over his wrists from healing wounds. He also seemed to really need a shower, and definitely a shave, he was beginning to resemble a pirate Santa. His clothes were in a desperate need of a wash too. All this helped the teen to finally feel something a little more positive for the man; sympathy.

“Eat up,” he said with a bit more warmth in his voice. “Then take a long hot shower. Use my washing machine and dryer. You can borrow something of mine to wear in the meanwhile.”

“Thank you. Although I suspect that the only thing you have that fits me is a towel,” the man chuckled.

“Yeah, it won’t be a big selection,” Robin grinned. “But if you use the quick cycle and then the dryer, it won’t take too long. And if my connection is safe enough, you can use my computer?”

“I’d appreciate that. It will still take a day or two to have everything taken care of. I have an emergency kit of sorts, with ID, credit card and cash, in Jump, but I need someone trustworthy to ship it to me.”

“Well, that’s easy, one of the Titans could-” Robin started.

“I think I’m going to reach out to some of my contacts first,” Slade told him.

“Ok?” Robin replied, a little bit hurt. He wasn’t too surprised, though; even when they had been together, Slade had always kept the rest of the heroes at arm’s length.

“It’s better that way, trust me,” Slade said, in passing asking Robin to do something the teen now, unfairly, found very hard to do.

Robin just nodded and finished what was on his plate.

“I’ll find you some towels and some clothes,” he said and stood up, leaving the man to finish his huge breakfast.

Slade spent almost thirty minutes in the shower. Robin had found him a razor and had run down to the corner shop to get him a toothbrush. He could have bought the man some clothes nearby too, if it wasn’t for the fact that he couldn’t easily afford it, not without asking Bruce for some extra pocket money, which he didn’t really want to do. Besides, the man would have his own money soon enough, it would have to do for now.

Eventually, Slade came out from the bathroom.

“Well, I tried,” he said. The man had a towel around his waist and was wearing the largest T-shirt Robin had been able to find; one for Gotham University that had turned out to be a large instead of a medium. On Slade, however, it looked more like a crop top. The man had tried, and how he had gotten it on at all was a mystery, judging by the straining seams. It only reached down to just above his belly button, though, giving him the appearance of a male stripper or exotic dancer.

Robin burst out laughing, but the laugh stuck in his throat when the man, with difficulty, pulled the shirt off.

“Holy…” the former hero gasped, staring at the man in horror. It was even more obvious not that the man had lost weight and muscle mass. Not that you would know if you didn’t know what he looked like before, but to Robin, who had loved taking in every inch of the man’s body with his eyes -and lips and tongue- it was a shocking discovery. The most obvious things were the scars, however, golf ball sized hollows into the man’s muscle tissues, sometimes bone had been harvested too, it looked like. Red, angry-looking skin were covering the wounds now, and it was very clear that no ordinary human would have survived that kind of treatment. Robin had left his chair and practically rushed up to the man. His hands now hovered over his skin. “This… this is… does it hurt?”

“It’s manageable,” Slade told him, which, in Slade language, meant ‘like hell’. “And it will heal. My body is working on it, burning through energy like crazy.”

“Hence the large breakfast?” Robin asked, with a little smile.

“I’m already hungry again.”

“I’ll get you something!” Robin hurriedly said and turned towards the kitchen. His arm was caught.

“I don’t need you to take care of me,” the man told him, not unkindly but a bit defensively.

“You obviously do!” There was a beep from the bathroom. “That’s the washing machine, I’ll put your clothes in the dryer and then I’ll fix you something to eat.”

“Robin-”

“Sit down!” the teen ordered and pointed to the small sofa that he barely used.

“Well, as it was an order…” the man half chuckled, half sighed, and sat down.

Robin returned ten minutes later with two microwave dinners. It was the quickest thing he could find, as he wasn’t much of a cook. As he came into the room, he almost dropped the plates.

“Close your legs!” he spluttered to the man on the sofa.

“Just airing out the goods,” Slade chuckled and reached for a plate. Robin watched the man eat as he set up his computer. He created a user account for Slade so the man couldn’t access his files. Not that he had anything much to hide, even his browsing history was kinda boring right now, he had to admit, but it still felt better.

“Here. You can use my phone too.”

“You have a VPN, I assume?”

“Of course. And other stuff, not on the market, curtesy of Batman. The phone is safe too, and can’t be traced.”

“Good boy,” the man grinned at him. “I have obviously come to the right place.”

Robin felt his cheeks redden a little bit, and huffed in annoyance.

“Just… get it done. I need to study,” he claimed, grabbed a book more or less at random, and sat down in his favorite chair. He curled up in it, as he tended to do, and tried to read while the mercenary was tapping away at the computer. After a while, Slade reached for the phone.

“I’m going to make the calls in the bedroom, ok?” he half asked, half informed him.

“Oh?” Robin said, feeling a bit wounded. Of course the man would have some secrets to protect, he assumed, although he thought they had gotten pretty close before… well, all this. Still, as Slade obviously didn’t want him to overhear… “Yes. Of course. No problem.”

Slade got up and headed towards the bedroom. He then stopped and turned around.

“I’m taking the call in here so I don’t disturb your studies. I hope you know that?”

“Oh.” Robin said again, but much happier this time. “Yes. Thank you.”

“I might not want the rest of the Titans sniffing around my secret stashes, but I wouldn’t mind you sniffing around… anywhere…” the man added with a leer.

“Noted,” Robin muttered but stared down into his book, his cheeks heating up again.

A few hours later Robin’s phone made a sound announcing that a reminder had been set. Robin was still studying, Slade was at the computer. The teen glanced at his phone and then shot to his feet.

“Fuck!”

“Was that an invitation?” Slade asked, an eyebrow raised.

“It’s Sunday! I forgot it was Sunday!” the teen said, not really explaining things.

“Don’t tell me you started to go to church?”

“No, but lunch! At the manor! In an hour!” Robin said, rushing into the bathroom.

“Good, I’ll come. I should get started anyway,” Slade told him through the bathroom door.

“Come? You can’t come! I haven’t told Bruce yet! I haven’t asked him about letting you borrow the computer!” Robin said, frantically trying to decide if he needed a shower or not. In the end a quick wash just had to do.

“Well, this is a good opportunity to ask, then,” Slade told him. “This really can’t wait, Robin.”

The teen just made a frustrated sound, as he wrapped a towel around himself.

“Fine!” he said, rushing out of the bedroom. “But it’s your funeral. Bruce doesn’t like surprises! I gotta get dressed!”

Just half a minute later, he was dressed in a nice pair of dark grey slacks, a white dress shirt and a blue sweater. He was still fixing his cuffs and collar in the elevator down to the garage. He had a car, one of Bruce’s more subtle ones which was just a small but perky hatchback, nothing which would raise any eyebrows in this neighborhood.

“Call Alfred,” Robin ordered his phone as soon as they got into the car.

“Wayne residence, Alfred Pennyworth speaking.”

“Al, you can see who it is before you answer, you can just say hi,” Robin half laughed, half sighed.

“There is a proper way to answer the telephone, young man, no matter who’s calling,” the butler reprimanded him back. “I do hope you haven’t called to cancel lunch?”

“No, no, quite the… opposite… in a way,” Robin said. “I’m bringing... a guest… is that ok? I’m afraid he might be a bit… hungry.” Slade had raided his meagerly stocked kitchen several times since the morning.

“That is quite alright, there’s plenty,” Alfred answered. “May I ask who the guest is?”

“Um… I’ll… I’ll introduce you when we get there. Could you tell Bruce I need a word with him before we eat?”

“Of course. I’ll go set another plate.”

“Thanks, Al, bye!” Robin said and ended the call.

“Why didn’t you just say it was me? They know about me, don’t they?” Slade asked.

“Yes. Which is the problem,” Robin said. “Because they know what you did- what I _thought_ you did, that is, and if you thought _I_ hated you… well…”

“Ah. Too complicated to explain on the phone?”

“A _bit_ ,” Robin snorted.

When Alfred opened the door a bit later the teen had gone over in his head what to say. He knew he had to be quick, and saw the moment the butler’s eyes turned to ice.

“Al, this is Slade, the thing that happened was a misunderstanding, it wasn’t his fault, and he needs our help,” he blurted out.

“Oh, my,” the old man said, a bit guardedly. Then his eyes travelled up and down the unexpected visitor. “Oh, my,” he added. “Well, I’m sure Master Richard will provide a more in-depth explanation later. In the meantime, let’s see if we can’t find you something more suitable to wear. Would you follow me, please?” He then turned and walked away, obviously expecting to be obeyed. Slade turned to Robin and opened his mouth, but the teen just shook his head and pointed after the butler. Slade snorted and did as told.

Robin snickered. Alfred would probably have made sure Slade changed even if he _hadn’t_ been innocent. There were some standards in this household, after all, and everyone should dress up for Sunday lunch, even guests you intended to poison. 

The teen then went to find Bruce to make sure he explained the situation to him before the two men happened to meet in the hallway, which would lead to bloodshed. The billionaire was in his office, and, after letting the news sink in for a bit, was somewhat open to the idea of helping. Robin just had to hope Slade wouldn’t ruin it.

Alfred arrived in the sitting room with Slade in tow a bit later. Robin and Bruce had gone down there, because that was simply the room where you gathered before lunch. Traditionally it had probably been for drinks, now it was just a strange tradition that they did automatically. Slade was now dressed in a suit, no tie, and Robin’s heart beat a little bit faster for a moment. The man looked good. The shirt, however, would have normally strained a bit, as it was Bruce’s, but now fit worryingly well, it might even be a bit big.

The men greeted each other civilly enough.

“I took the liberty of packing a small bag for Mr. Wilson with some extra clothes, to borrow until he is able to retrieve his own,” Alfred informed them. “I hope that is acceptable?”

“Of course,” Bruce said. “Wilson, you need to tell me everything you know about this organization. According to Robin they need to be stopped.”

Slade nodded, and the conversation during lunch mainly focused on that topic.

“Well, I can’t release a killer in Gotham,” Bruce said at the end. “But,” he hurriedly said and raised a hand to stop any objection, “it’s clear they need to be stopped. And I’ll help. But it can’t end in murder, only justice.”

“Not sure I see the difference,” Slade grunted.

“If you can’t, I can’t help you. I’ll inform the JL, I’ll work the case myself, but I can’t let you use the computer.”

“With all due respect,” Slade said through gritted teeth, “you won’t be able to find them in time. I’ll be able to go through more data faster, I know how they work.”

“True. So give me your word that you’ll deal with all this without bloodshed.”

The room was so tense that Robin felt the hairs on his neck stand on end. He looked from one man to the other. Slade gently placed his knife and fork on his plate.

“Alright. I’ll promise I won’t take the revenge on them that I had planned. But I won’t give up the right to defend myself while destroying their base of operations.”

“As long as you are in real danger, as long as they are armed…” Bruce said after a bit of hesitation. Robin knew he didn’t like it, but he also knew that he understood the seriousness of it all

“Deal,” Slade grunted. “This is what I get for getting involved with heroes, huh?” he added, giving Robin a wry look, as they used to discuss these types of things a lot, back in the day, and quite heatedly too.

Robin gave him a small grin and a shrug.

“I expect you wanting to get started as soon as possible?” Bruce said and stood up.

“Yes,” Slade nodded. “But first… is there any dessert?”

Robin helped Alfred clear the table as Bruce showed their guest down into the cave. They had just finished cleaning everything up, making small talk about school and Gotham in general, when Bruce returned.

“He’s working.” The man looked like he wanted to say something else but was having trouble phrasing it. “He’s… in pain, I think. He moves stiffly. He’s lost weight.”

“Indeed, Sir,” Alfred nodded. “He has terrible scars all over his body.”

Robin wasn’t surprised that the butler had stayed in the room as Slade got changed. Firstly, helping Bruce with those things was common, especially when the man was injured or sore. Secondly, Slade would never even entertain the thought of being embarrassed.

“I know,” Robin shuddered. “It’s like they dug pieces out of him with an ice cream scoop.”

“I assume him eating that much is part of it?” Bruce asked.

Robin nodded. “Yeah, at least that’s how he explained it to me. He needs to rebuild his body, after all, and that takes energy.”

“I’ll bring him a snack in a little while,” Alfred announced.

Robin usually left at this point in the day, but as Slade had just started working, that was of course out of the question. It was nice spending time just chatting to Bruce and Alfred, though, and he helped the butler with some of the Christmas decorations. The man had started the transformation of the mansion, but liked to do it in stages, according to some schedule only he knew. As the hours passed, Robin started to feel a bit restless, however, and went down to the cave himself. It felt a bit weird being there. He had avoided it since becoming a civilian, as he had struggled with feelings of guilt and didn’t want to be reminded of it.

“Hey, Slade?”

“Hm?” The man was focused on the screen.

“It’s getting late.”

“I’m working, Robin,” the man told him and reached for something on the table next to him. A sandwich. He took a bite without letting his eyes leave the screen.

“And… for how long…?”

“Might be a few days.”

“So you’re just… gonna stay here?” the teen asked, feeling a bit lost.

“Until they kick me out,” the man shrugged, taking another bite.

“Are you… I mean… are you sure you’re up for… all this?” Robin asked him carefully. Slade finally looked up at him, and gave him a small smile, though it looked tired to the teen..

“I’m fine, Robin. And when it’s all done, we’ll… talk. Properly. Alright?”

“Alright,” the young nodded, a tingle in his stomach.

“Why don’t you stay as well?” Bruce asked him a little later as he had told him and Alfred about the mercenary’s decision. “Just go home and fetch what you need. School is online anyway.”

“It _does_ feel weird leaving him here…” Robin muttered.

“Yes, you brought him home, he’s your responsibility,” the billionaire said wryly, making the teen chuckle.

“Very good, I’ll make preparations,” Alfred nodded. “There is just the question about… sleeping arrangements?” When Robin just blinked, the man, reluctantly, clarified. “Are you intending to… share a room?”

“What? No! No… We’re not… there. I mean… right now…” Robin said, getting red in the face.

“Good,” Bruce sighed, sounding relieved. “Like I told you when you told us what had happened; I’m not going to judge you for who you date, or forbid you from seeing someone. You’re both adults. But if I didn’t have to have Wilson end up as my son-in-law, I’d appreciate it.” He said it all jokingly, but Robin mostly heard the acceptance in the tone, and was grateful for it.

He ended up packing his computer, school materials, clothes for a few days and, feeling slightly silly, his tea calendar. He’d probably need those moments of peace, he figured.

_To be Continued…_


	7. Monday, 7 December ~* It? *~

Robin woke at three in the morning. He had slept badly. Lots of disturbing stress-induced dreams, many including old cases and missions. It was like being in this house, in this room, activated his memories of his old life, sending signals to him to wake, to work again. He felt rather miserable when he dragged himself out of bed, but figured that a bathroom break and some water was what he’d need to be able to sleep again.

Once up, though, his feet took him out into the hallway. He knew Slade hade gotten the room opposite his, and he couldn’t help himself. He quietly opened the door and peeked in. The bed was empty. Not slept in.

The urge to check on the man took him down into the cave. The lights and screens were on, but no clicking from a keyboard was heard. He finally could see the work station, where the man had been sitting, clearly. The shape of a large body was sprawled out on the floor.

“Slade!” Robin rushed up to the man, who didn’t react. He carefully tried shaking him, but the man seemed to be out cold. He couldn’t see any wounds, at least not new ones, and his breathing and pulse were even, but slow.

“He seems to have just passed out,” Bruce said. Robin had rushed to wake the man up, and they had both gotten the man to his bedroom with the help of a very handy wheel chair that Bruce had had stacked away.

“What on earth?” they heard behind them.

“Oh, Al, I’m sorry, I didn’t want to wake you up,” Robin told the old butler.

“Pish-posh, if something is going on in this house, I’m entitled to know about it,” the man tutted. “Should I call a doctor?”

“I don’t think we need to. I think he’s just worn out. Who knows if he has been sleeping at all since he managed to escape,” Bruce said. “And if his metabolism is as jacked up as it is, he probably needs sleep too. We’ll keep an eye on him.”

“I’ll watch him,” Robin said.

“I doubt we have to keep him under surveillance, just check on him now and then,” the Dark Knight snorted.

“I’ll watch him,” Robin repeated firmly.

“I’ll fetch a snack and some water. Something that will keep, just in case he wakes up hungry,” Alfred let them know.

“I’m going back to bed,” Bruce announced. “He’ll be fine, Dick. Get some rest.”

The teen just nodded, but curled up in a chair close to the bed instead, where he could see the slow rise and fall of the man’s chest.

As actual dawn slowly approached, Robin had had lots of time to think. Mostly about Slade, and his feelings towards the man. Seeing him on the floor had absolutely terrified him. It gutted him to see him in bed, possibly worse off than they knew. It was still difficult for him to reach that amazingly warm, flowery, woozy feeling she remembered having for months before that fateful night. That feeling had grown slowly, from a faint tingle, and been suddenly completely stomped out that morning and the days and weeks that followed. He wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to feel it again. For anyone. But there was something there. Something warm. Something he yearned to feel fully. All it needed was a bit more time. He hoped he had that.

He was starting to feel hungry. He didn’t really have an appetite; it was more a realization that he should eat something. Soon he was back in the chair, a cup of tea in his hands and a plate of sandwiches balanced on his knee. It was green tea with vanilla and mango. It was ok, rather soothing. He stayed by the man’s side until it was time for class. Slade didn’t as much as stir.

_To be Continued…_


	8. Tuesday, 8 December ~* It*~

“I’m worried about him,” Robin mumbled, gently touching Slade’s arm.

“Look at his arms, the scars aren’t as deep anymore, are they?” Bruce pointed out.

“I guess… but he was so hungry, and now he hasn’t even had anything to drink since before I found him.”

“If you want to call someone in..? I’m not sure what anyone could do, though?”

“Me neither. I was thinking of Raven, but… Slade wouldn’t like that.”

“Let’s give him more time, then. As long as he keeps healing…?”

“Yeah,” Robin shrugged, sounding as unhappy as he felt.

“Got classes today?”

“Yeah. You have work, right?”

“Unfortunately, yes. Working from home, and still having to wear a suit…” the man muttered.

“Come on! You don’t _have_ to! You can hold a meeting bare chested and just set a new standard,” the teen chuckled.

“Well...” Bruce said thoughtfully and then shook his head. “Better not. Alfred will yell at me.”

Robin snickered. “Well, I need to set things up,” he told the man.

“Of course. Are these dishes? Should I take them with me to the kitchen?” the man asked and pointed to an empty tea mug and a few plates.

“Please do. Or Alfred will yell at _me_ ,” Robin smiled.

“Was the tea any good today?” Bruce, who had found out about the calendar, asked.

“Yeah, it was white tea with blueberries and… elderberries, I think?” Robin said. “It was different, but nice.”

Bruce hummed in agreement and left with the dishes.

Robin sat in the wide bed, next to Slade, with his computer. They didn’t have to participate today, just listen, with their mics and cameras turned off, so he could sit anywhere. He had his notepad and a pencil ready, though.

He managed to stay focused, although his thoughts tried sneaking away to the project Slade had been working on. Both he and Bruce had tried to continue the man’s work, but they couldn’t make sense of it. Bruce, of course, refused to admit that, but Robin saw right through him. Slade seemed to have looked at many things at once. Rented out buildings, power usage, sewer analysis, money transactions… but without knowing what the man was actually looking for, it was impossible to help. At least _that_ way. Bruce had reached out to his contacts both as Wayne and Batman, asking them to tell him anything they might hear about anyone offering a protentional new weapon of any kind. Unfortunately, even some of the eyes and ears were now either sick or keeping away from people, so no news had reached them so far. Robin appreciated the help, but it was frustrating not being able to do more.

As class ended, he put his computer away in his room, and when he returned, he stopped dead. Slade’s head had turned to the side.

“Slade? Slade, are you awake?” he asked, carefully touching his shoulder.

The man made a grunting noise and turned his head again. Robin smiled widely at the progress. He sat down on the side of the bed and was still there when the man opened his eye, half an hour later.

“Hmm?”

Robin interpreted that as ‘where the hell am I, what happened?”

“You collapsed in the cave. We took you to your bedroom, you’ve been sleeping for quite a while. We think your body shut down. Hungry? Thirsty?”

“Mmm…” the man gave a short nod.

Figuring water was probably the most important right now, Robin, with some difficulty, pulled the man up far enough to help him to drink. Slade made some more grunting noises that Robin was pretty sure meant things like ‘don’t fuss’ and ‘I don’t need any help’, but, as the man was clearly wrong, he decided to ignore it. He helped the man eat some crackers that Alfred had left for him, and then pulled a tassel by the side of the bed. In the old days, a bell marked with the room number or room name would ring in the servant’s quarters. Now it sent a message through an app to Alfred’s phone. Alfred had objected to this but, in the end, it was much more reliable, of course.

“I’ll ask Alfred to get you something more to eat if you want to,” Robin told him. “You’ve been out since Sunday night, and it’s Tuesday today.”

“Need to… work,” Slade forced out and tried to sit up.

“The hell you do!” Robin said and hurriedly straddled the man. If Slade had been his old self, Robin sitting on top of him would barely have slowed him down, but now he couldn’t move. He did a bit of glaring, though.

The door opened, and an “Oh, my, I apologize!” was heard.

Robin realized what the old man had just seen and shouted after hm.

“Al! No wait!”

The butler somewhat edged into the room again, looking anywhere but the bed.

“He wanted to start working, I’m just holding him down!” Robin explained, blushing.

“Ah. I see.” Cool and collected once again, Alfred strode up to the bed.

“There will be no working for you until you’re stronger, Mr. Wilson,” he told the man firmly. “Now stop this nonsense at once. You lie back and I’m going to bring you some soup.”

Slade snorted but relaxed back into the pillows. Robin gave him a triumphant grin. As soon as Alfred left, however, the mercenary moved again. This time he put his hands on the teen’s hips and leered up at him.

“Bad boy,” Robin told him firmly. “Don’t get any ideas, or Alfred will be back here scolding you in a moment.”

“If you want to keep me in bed, I thought you could entertain me,” the man said. His voice was still weak and gruff, but at least he could form full sentences now.

Robin huffed, loosened the man’s hold on him and climbed off.

“Aw.” Slade sounded like a kicked puppy, but the small smirk on his face was too smug for the teen to believe any feelings had been hurt.

“Stop it. This thing, you collapsing like this… has that happened before?”

“No. Not like this, anyway. I guess I was closer to death than I thought.”

“You’re an idiot,” Robin snorted.

“I need to stop them,” Slade insisted. “I see there’s a wheel chair over there. Help me down into the cave.”

“No! You need to rest. We’ll help, ok? We’ll stop them, but you need to rest right now. Even if you find them, you’re in no shape to as much as _frown_ at them, no less break into their building!”

“Ouch.”

“You know it’s true!”

Slade looked away, and Robin knew he had won that argument. Not much later Alfred came in with the promised soup. Slade was able to eat by himself after they helped prop him up.

“Now young man,” Alfred said and turned his firm gaze in Robin’s direction. “There’s lunch served downstairs and then you have school work to do, don’t you? I’m sure Mr. Wilson needs some real rest after his ordeal, I don’t think you need to watch over him anymore right now.”

“You watched over me?” Slade asked. His tone was teasing, but there was a seriousness behind it that made the teen feel warm inside.

“He wouldn’t leave your side,” Alfred announced, making things more embarrassing, as he shooed Robin out from the room.

To show the mercenary that he wasn’t at all a worrying mother hen, Robin didn’t return to Slade’s room until the evening. He got reports from Alfred that the man was sleeping, eating slightly more normal amounts of food and so on, however.

“How are you feeling?” he asked as he opened the door, after knocking this time.

“Wretched. Haven’t felt this weak since I was a kid,” Slade grunted, sounding very annoyed with the situation.

“I’m glad you’re telling me the truth now,” Robin smiled.

“Well, Alfred told me off about that too,” Slade chuckled, looking a bit embarrassed. He was sitting up in bed more firmly now. As Robin got closer, he could see that the man’s hair was damp. He was also wearing fresh clothes, at least the white t-shirt, which was all Robin could see, was new. The sheets had been changed as well.

“Did you shower?” he asked, as he found it a bit hard to believe.

“Alfred helped.”

“He… helped you?”. Robin sat down on the bedside. It was a bit awkward, but it was better than standing over the man.

“Yes. So?” Slade asked tersely, and the former hero knew it was a sensitive subject.

“No, no, I mean… that’s good! I just… He’s… seen…?”

“I’m sure he’s helped both Bruce and you on occasion,” the mercenary snorted.

“Yes, but- No, no, it doesn’t matter, of course. But… you could have asked me?”

“I didn’t know if you would be up for it. Me being a monster in your mind and all.” Slade said dryly.

“I’m sorry my brain is weird, alright?” Robin exclaimed. “I wish it could just… switch back, but I just… just give me some time, okay?”

“Okay. Okay,” Slade raised a hand. “Time. It’s all we both need, but there’s not enough of it,” he added irritably. “I’m sorry. I’m frustrated.”

“You’ll be well enough to start again tomorrow, I’m sure,” Robin told him soothingly. “Is there anything Bruce or I could look into in the meanwhile?”

“I found out that the samples need to be kept in extreme cold,” Slade started.

“Mr. Freeze!” Robin exclaimed.

“Just because something needs cold doesn’t mean a specific super villain is involved,” Slade snorted.

“No, I didn’t mean that. He’s in Arkham anyway,” Robin said. “What I meant is that any of his old lairs would have the capacity and maybe even some of the equipment that they would need!”

“Ah. And you think this organization could have found one of these places?”

“Are you kidding me? If a supervillain or a hero has ever as much as been _sighted_ at a location, it’s in the realtor’s sells pitch.” Robin chuckled. “Bruce will be able to check.”

Slade nodded and Robin could see him relaxing back against the pillows again.

“I’ll go tell him about it right now,” the teen said. Before he could stand up, however, his arm was grabbed in a loose grip. Loose to be Slade, at least.

“How about a goodnight kiss?” the man asked him.

Robin hesitated. The look in the man’s eye was almost challenging, in a way, and knowing how weak Slade was at the moment somehow softened the image of the man in his mind. The worrying had caused some of the old positive feelings to come back as well. He swallowed and nodded. Slade coaxed him closer and Robin bent down. Their lips just grazed each other first, before meeting properly. Robin gasped as his brain seemed to explode with emotions and sensations, and didn’t resist as Slade pulled him even closer, deepening the kiss.

There was a knock on the door and Robin pulled back so violently that ne almost fell off the bed. He shot to his feet just as the door opened and Alfred came in.

“Some tea before bed, sir?” he asked and then looked between Robin and Slade. “I do hope I wasn’t interrupting anything?”

“Of course not! Just telling him to stay in bed!” Robin claimed. “Goodnight, Slade, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yes. You can ‘convince’ me more then,” the man smirked.

Robin made sure to hurry away to tell Bruce the news, before Alfred could ask him any questions.

_To be Continued…_


	9. Wednesday, 9 December ~* Gives *~

Robin was a bit nervous about seeing Slade the next morning, but he had his steaming mug of tea in front of him like a shield.

“Morning,” he said softly as he entered.

“Morning.” Slade’s voice sounded a bit rough and it looked like he had just woken up.

“You look better,” Robin told him, and then took a sip because he got a bit embarrassed. Ginger and Cranberry. Well, it woke you up.

“Well, thank you,” the man leered in the way Robin knew he would.

“I meant your wounds. You can barely see them anymore,” Robin said, gesturing to the man’s arms.

“Oh?” Slade inspected his arms and then pulled out his t-shirt, studying his stomach and chest. “Good. Seems rest works. Sometimes.”

Robin chuckled and then checked the time. “I have to get ready for class, and then I have work. You’ll be ok? Not overdo things?”

“Of course,” the man promised.

When Robin entered the bat cave late that evening, Slade was lifting weights in the gym.

“What did I tell you?!” the teen almost yelled.

“I’m not overdoing anything, just seeing how bad it got,” Slade said, putting the weights back. He was sweaty, more so than Robin had ever seen him, a sign that things might not be completely well yet. “It’s pretty bad,” he admitted with a grunt. Robin then noticed that the man hadn’t lifted much more than he himself pressed, so yeah. Slade must feel weak as a kitten.

“Is Bruce here?” Robin asked.

“He’s on a date. Who’s the woman?”

“Mallory Carson.”

“Of the Carson family? Second wealthiest family in Gotham?” Slade asked.

“Yup.”

“You don’t like her.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“No, you didn’t. It’s obvious, though. More importantly; Alfred doesn’t like her either.”

“More importantly?!” Robin exclaimed, but after a look from the man, nodded. “Yeah, ok. Him not liking her is pretty much the nail in the coffin.”

“But Bruce doesn’t know?”

“Bruce is in love. Or at least have gotten it in his head that they would be a good match. Or something. I don’t know,” Robin grunted.

“I’m sure it will blow over,” Slade chuckled. “So… interested in helping me shower?”

“Hah. No.”

“You seem to need one yourself.”

“I’ve been working,” Robin told him.

Slade reached out his hand. “Alright, just help me up then.”

Robin blinked, then wondered if the man was joking. It turned out that he wasn’t and that his legs were shaking a bit once he got to his feet.

“For crying out loud, Slade, I’m going to chain you to the bed if you do this again,” Robin growled at him, and put the man’s arm over his shoulder, helping him towards the shower.

“Well, that sounds interesting,” Slade let him know. “Don’t tell Alfred,” he added.

“About chaining you to the bed?”

“About me overdoing it. Because he _would_ chain me to the bed. And that wouldn’t be _nearly_ as interesting.”

Robin snorted.

The Batcave’s shower room had two big shower cubicles. Once they reached I,t Slade took his arm off Robin’s shoulders.

“You don’t have to help, but if you are going to shower anyway, maybe make sure I just don’t slip and can’t get up,” he said.

Robin couldn’t help it. He snickered.

“It’s not funny,” Slade muttered.

“No, no, it’s not. I’m sorry, it’s just… so absurd seeing you even a little under the weather, and… you know… fragile?”

“Please never use that word regarding me ever again,” the man grunted and started to undress. “And don’t be shy,” he added as he apparently noticed that Robin hadn’t made a move to remove any of his clothes yet.

“I’m not,” the teen objected sullenly.

“I’ve had my tongue in every one of your orifices apart from possibly your nostrils,” Slade pointed out. “There is no reason to be bashful.”

“No reason to be tactful either, I hear,” Robin muttered.

“There seldom is,” Slade philosophized.

Slade’s wounds looked even better now, the teen was glad to see. He admitted that he glanced at… other stuff… too, just to, well… be sure it was all there. It was. As soon as Slade entered his shower stall, Robin undressed and entered his own. He _was_ shy, in a way. Slade was right; he shouldn’t be, but he was.

Afterwards they were standing wish towels around their hips and both realized at the same time that they didn’t have any clean clothes to change into.

“We might be a bit stupid,” Robin chuckled.

“No, no, I planned this, to keep you half naked for longer,” Slade claimed haughtily.

“Aw, poor _fragile_ old man, let me help you to your room and bring you some soup,” Robin smirked.

“Of the two of us, you are the most evil,” Slade muttered. “I’ll speak to Alfred about you.”

“You’ll do nothing of the sort!”

“Then go get me some clothes. I need to keep working.”

“No, you need to rest.”

“I was just working out while the computer ran some numbers, I need to get back to that,” the man claimed.

“Alright. I’ll get you some clothes, you can check the numbers, but after that, you’re resting again. Or _I’ll_ tell Alfred.”

“Like I said; evil,” Slade muttered. “Fine.”

Robing smirked as he hurried upstairs. Alfred was a very useful threat. It was a pity it wouldn’t work outside the manor…

_To be Continued…_


	10. Thursday, 10 December ~* Us*~

They all had breakfast together the next morning. Slade felt much stronger, and Robin smiled at him over his cup of green tea with honey and mint. Odd combination, he thought, but maybe they were running out of ideas. That didn’t bode well for the second half of the calendar, though. He might end up with jerky-flavored tea one of these days.

“Mallory is coming for dinner tomorrow night,” Bruce announced.

“Oh. Want us out of the way?” Robin asked, indicating himself and Slade.

“Not if you can behave,” the billionaire said, giving Slade a particularly stern look.

“You don’t want me to flirt with her, noted,” the man smirked back. “Any word yet from the hideouts you were looking into?”

“I’ve found a few that are rented out.”

“Any in the south part of the city?”

“Yes?”

“Good. I had it narrowed down to there. How many?”

“Three.”

“He moved around a bit, didn’t he?”

“A surprising amount, considering,” Bruce agreed. “I’m planning to take a look myself tonight.”

“Give me the addresses, I’ll do it today,” Slade said.

Bruce snorted. “You’re in no condition to do so. If I find anything, I’ll take care of it.”

“You have no idea how!”

“Then tell me! Wilson, Alfred could know you out right now, no offence, Al.”

“Non taken, Sir,” the butler said.

“I have to-” Slade started.

“You know what? I’ll arm wrestle you for the addresses,” Bruce said.

“You’re on.”

* * *

“Don’t be such a sore loser,” Robin chuckled half an hour later. “I need to get to my computer, classes are about to start and we have a test today.”

“You could at least try to cheer me up,” Slade sulked. He had been sent back to bed to rest after breakfast.

Robin bent down and kissed the man quickly on the lips.

“Better?” he asked.

“A bit. What will I get if I break up Bruce and Miss Carson?”

“Slade, no! If you do anything-”

“I’ll do nothing that he’ll even think of blaming me for, but I’m pretty sure I can make her look bad.”

“As long you don’t look bad in the process… and… I don’t know, Slade… she might not be a bad person.”

“She might not be, but if I can show that they are a bad match…?”

“Ok… maybe… if you’re really careful about… it might be worth another kiss or two,” the teen grinned.

So… that test of yours… is it important?” the man asked innocently.

“I’ll see you later, Slade,” Robin chuckled and left the room.

It felt better now, his relationship to Slade. The memories didn’t flood back every time he looked at him now. He was starting to think that they might be ok, as long as Slade was willing to be patient just a little bit longer. If he was still interested, that was. He was showing every sign that he was, but Robin was still a bit unsure if it was just a right-here-right-now kinda thing or not. He had left the hero world behind him, after all, meaning they didn’t have as much in common anymore. Why would Slade want to be with a student? In Gotham?

_To be Continued…_


	11. Friday, 11 December ~* One *~

“Is she here yet?” Robin asked as he came into the kitchen. He was bringing an almost full cup of very cold tea down from his room. He had had it with his morning class, but Hibiscus tea wasn’t for him. He poured the stuff out in the sink. He had seen the cup when he had been in his room, changing after work. He had switched to an early shift, directly after lunch, instead of his usual evening one, so he would make it to dinner. It had been very busy, as it tended to be on Fridays.

“Yes, Miss Carson and Master Wayne are taking a tour around the grounds,” Alfred told him.

“And Slade?”

“Getting ready for dinner, I hope. I made sure he had something suitable to wear,” the butler replied.

“Has he been good today?”

“I’ve been keeping a very strict eye on him. He’s doing well,” the old man said. “And apparently they have found a suspicious location. Mr. Wilson is a bit frustrated that Master Wayne seems to think that his plans with Miss Carson are more important.”

“That’s… not like him?” Robin said, unsure about what to think, and leaning heavily towards Slade’s side.

“Well, apparently the young lady feels she has been ignored for almost the whole week,” Alfred said, with poorly concealed disdain in his voice.

Robin snorted.

“Anything I can help with?” he asked.

“No, thank you, why don’t you take a seat in the sitting room and dinner will be served shortly.”

Slade was already in there, a glass of an amber colored liquid in his hand.

“I have to admit, Wayne has a good selection.”

“I think he mostly buys them as an investment, hopefully you haven’t just opened a thousand-dollar bottle,” Robin smiled. “How are you?”

“Much better. I’m heading out after dinner.”

“No, you’re not.”

“I’m just taking a look.”

“No.”

“Come with me.”

Robin hesitated. “Slade… you know I… well, I don’t do that, anymore…?”

“I’m not asking you to put on a cape, I’m asking you to take a walk with me in the neighborhood. Snoop a bit. We’ll stay out of the building. We’ll go as civilians and we’ll be as safe as anyone out there.”

“So, in a fair amount of danger, then?” the teen smirked. “I can’t talk you out of it?”

“I doubt it.”

He took a deep breath. “Alright. When?”

“We’ll leave around midnight.”

“Okay.” Robin sank down into a high back chair in front of the roaring fire.

“Wear something sexy.”

The teen chuckled and flipped the man off.

“So… you have a plan when it comes to Miss Carson?” Robin asked.

“Of course.”  
“And that is?”  
“I’m just going to make conversation. Take an interest in her opinions.”  
“Why does that sound so ominous?”

“I have no idea,” the man said innocently and sipped his drink.

They both then heard a scraping sound from the entrance hall, and Robin had to check.

“Al, what are you doing?” he asked, as he saw the old man pulling a very tall, somewhat rickety ladder towards the staircase.

“I just realized that I have forgotten to put the garlands up,” he said. “I’ll do that while the potatoes boil.”

“You’ll do nothing of the sort,” Slade said behind Robin, and the teen agreed. The entrance hall staircase led up to the hallway that created a half circle framed by a carved wooden balustrade. The garland was supposed to run at the bottom of that one, and you couldn’t quite reach from the top. As the ceilings were very high in this part of the house, it was rather precarious to do it from the floor as well, however.

“I agree, not without a better ladder, how old is that thing?” Robin asked.

“There’s nothing wrong with some age,” the butler sniffed, but looked a bit crestfallen. He wanted the place to look its best, clearly, and now something was missing.

“We’ll sort this out. Robin, up,” Slade said. Robin looked over at the man, saw his cupped hands, and knew at once what the man meant. He grinned, took a bit of a running start and then leapt into those hands. Slade pushed him upwards, and Robin’s heart soared as he, for a moment, flew through the air, just as he loved so much to do. He twisted around and landed neatly on Slade’s steady shoulders.

“Such acts…” Alfred tutted, but handed the teen the garland, and, with Alfred’s patient instructions, they hung it in even ‘waves’ all along the balustrade, and then down the staircase.

They had just finished when Bruce and Mallory came in through the door. The woman was undeniable beautiful, and knew it too. She took a look at their work and giggled.

“Aw, garlands! How sweet! Just a bit… old-fashioned, you know?”

When the couple disappeared into the sitting room, Robin, who had long since jumped down from Slade’s shoulders, pulled on his arm and got him to bend down a little, so he could whisper in his ear.

“Destroy her.” 

_To be Continued…_


	12. Saturday, 12 December ~*Person *~

“I don’t think Bruce likes you very much right now,” Robin snickered as they headed out to his car just after midnight.

“I was perfectly polite and pleasant,” Slade claimed.

“Yes, you were. Just making small talk, huh?”

“Exactly.”

“Asking what she would change about the place if she had her way?”

“Did you see the look on his face when she was talking about a huge deck with a pool out back, painting the house white and how much she liked the glass and steel interior designs that are popular now?”

“I did. It was kinda beautiful,” Robin snickered. “The Alfred thing was the real stinger, though. About taking in more and younger staff? And him retiring?”

“It was probably a good thing that the old man was out in the kitchen at that moment,” Slade said. “I saw something die in Bruce’s eyes when she said that.”

“I’m glad, in a way. I mean, it sucks for him, but I was worried he would be agreeing with her. Love makes some people just… change too much.”

“It does,” Slade agreed simply.

They were quiet for a bit.

“Do you think it’s over between them?” Robin asked.

“Depends. He might try talking to her. If she’s smart, she takes everything back and says she was joking.”

“You think she will?”

“She complained that most of the spa’s were closed and said she thought they could at least have one open for the really rich people that actually needed one,” Slade commented.

“Yes, well…” the teen chuckled.

“I’m honestly disappointed in Bruce. He could do so much better,” Slade sighed, making Robin laugh out loud. “Wasn’t he dating Selina?”

“Catwoman? Yeah, well… on and off. I think he’s too hung up on her being, technically, a villain.”

“Good thing you don’t have silly hang-ups like that,” the man smirked at him.

Robin blushed and kept his eyes on the road, making a noncommittal sound.

The building was, of course, locked. They circled it, discussing ways in and out, and were on the lookout for any clues to whether or not this was the place. That was the main goal here, after all. They were wearing normal but dark clothes. They both had hats on, and facemasks, to hide as much of their features as possible. There were very few people around, so they tried to stay out of the way and in the shadows as much as possible.

“Let’s take a look from the top,” Slade suggested, pointing to a fire escape on the building next to their target.

“Slade, you promised…” Robin said hesitantly.

“We’re just looking,” the man claimed.

When they reached the top of the building, Robin could feel that it had been a while since he did this. He worked out pretty much every day, normally, but this was a bit different. He could hear that Slade was breathing hard too, so obviously the man felt it as well, probably mostly because he was still recovering.

From up here they could see some lights in the building, dim stationary lights but also moving lights.

“Guards,” Slade said and pulled out a pair of night vision binoculars from his jacket pocket. He then produced another pair from the other pocket and handed them to Robin.

“Stolen from the cave?” the teen asked wryly.

“Borrowed.”

“Ah. My bad.”

“Of course,” the man smirked and started studying the building.

The guards were merely shadows who moved slowly through different floors. The insides of the building seemed to be quite open and empty, and Slade said it might be to make it easier to patrol. After a while the teen soon discovered something.

“Look at the second floor from the top, almost all the way to the left. See that exit sign? When guards pass there, the light falls on their faces for a split second.”

“Well done,” Slade praised him.

They waited. One guard passed. Thirty minutes later, another one. Robin started to get cold, but they had identified three different people who all walked the same route. He knew he wouldn’t get Slade to leave before he had gotten a look at the third one as well.

Another half an hour passed. When the last guard passed the light, Slade stiffened.

“This is the place,” he said through gritted teeth. “I recognize him.”

“Are you sure? You only saw him for a moment…?” the teen pointed out.

“I am sure. He was a guard for a short while, where I was being kept.”

“He could have switched companies?” Robin suggested.

“Too much of a coincidence. Everything else matches too. They use an extraordinary amount of energy and the thermal readings in this building are very low.”

“Do you think they are… keeping people in there?”

“No, at least not likely. I’ve checked the sewer analysis in this area, and considering the amounts they used on me, it should show abnormalities when it came to drug residues in the sewer water if they had even a couple of test subjects. I think this is just a storage unit.”

“Well, that’s good, that should make things easier, right?” the teen said.

“Security is tight, though. The guards have to swipe their card for every section they enter, it seems.”

“Well, a revenge mad meta human who is very good at killing people destroyed their other base,” Robin said dryly. “I’d be nervous too.”

“Aw. You’re so sweet,” the man chuckled. “But you’re freezing,” he said as he took a closer look at the teen. “Let’s get you home. Maybe you should have your morning tea when we get back. What flavor is it today?”

Robin felt quite happy about the care, but snorted. “I don’t know, I haven’t opened it yet.”

It was rose hip tea. He drank it scalding hot and it was just what he needed.

_To be Continued…_


	13. Sunday, 13 December ~* Who *~

“We’ve been here a week today,” Robin pointed out during Sunday breakfast. “What’s the plan here? You two were busy in the cave planning all day yesterday.”

“Jealous?” Slade smirked. Bruce gave him a dark look.

“With Wilson a bit… under the weather-”

“I’m getting better every day,” Slade objected.

“Yes, but you need to regain what you lost in muscle mass and stamina, and your powers won’t help much with that. Only training and time will,” Bruce snapped. “Anyway, if we also include this man’s complete disrespect for human life – don’t roll your eye at me – we need to plan this so it’s as safe as possible for everyone involved.”

“What can I do?” Robin asked.

The men looked at each other in a way the teen didn’t like.

“Dick,” Bruce started, using his ‘reasonable’ voice. “You left this life behind, at least for now. I know you have assignments due, and you’re not in peak condition to do this.”

“I’m better off than him,” the teen snorted and pointed his thumb at Slade.

“Yes, but I don’t _care_ about him,” the billionaire replied with a sigh.

“I feel rather unloved right now,” Slade muttered. Alfred came in through the door with a plate of freshly baked scones. “But that helped,” the man added and grabbed one. He was still eating a bit more than Robin remembered him doing, but it seemed to do him good.

“It’s only one mission. I’ll train with Slade, and I’ll spend the rest of the time studying, I won’t fall behind. Besides, aren’t we in a hurry?”

“Well, corona is helping us out there. We’ve managed to hack some of their correspondence, and they are taking this to China and /or Russia, but for now everyone is pretty stuck where they are, so they have decided to lay low until at least after New Year. So, we have time, although we’d like to take care of things as soon as we can, of course. And what about your job?” Bruce reminded him. “Will you be able to juggle that too?” 

Robin hesitated. He needed the money after all. He knew Bruce would agree if he just asked him for it, but he didn’t want to do that. Then he had an idea.

“Slade, you’ve gotten your stuff now, right?”

“Yes. Finally,” the man confirmed. A courier had arrived yesterday with a box which Slade had put away somewhere.

“Good. Then congrats, you just hired me as your personal trainer.”

“I did?” the man looked very amused.

“Yes. You’re lucky. We’ll get to work close together. Getting all sweaty and out of breath. Needing showers…”

“Alright, you’re hired,” the man agreed while both Bruce and Alfred seemed to have swallowed something the wrong way.

“He knows how to play you,” Bruce told the mercenary warningly.

“Only when I let him,” Slade answered with a confident smirk. Robin smirked back. The man shouldn’t be so sure of himself. He took a sip of his tea, before remembering that it was black tea with liquorish and vanilla, and the liquorish was strong. He put it down again, hoping the one tomorrow would be better.

“Push! Push! One more time!”

“I’m not giving birth, Robin. Nor taking a shit,” Slade pointed out sarcastically.

“Yeah well… lift, then!” the teen said.

“Was this how Batman trained you?” Slade asked.

“Um… no? He just told me the amount of reps and I did them,” Robin explained.

“Let’s try that, shall we?” Slade suggested sweetly.

“I just want to make sure I earn my pay,” Robin shrugged.

“Oh, you will,” the man leered.

“This wasn’t what I had in mind,” Robin grunted an hour later.

“A good PT knows that muscles need to be worked on in different ways,” Slade’s muffled voice said. “Use those hands of yours.”

The man was naked under a towel, face down on a massage table. Robin knew the basics of massaging, something he had regrettably mentioned to Slade during their salary discussion.

“Alfred is really good at this, he has even taken classes,” Robin pointed out.

“I should fire you and hire him, then?”

“No. No, fine, I’ll try,” the teen whined. He had to use all of his weight to make much difference, but according to the grunts the man made, he seemed to be enjoying the attention. Robin was frustrated though, because he couldn’t reach properly.

“Is it ok if I straddle you?” he asked.

“I’m almost always okay with that,” Slade chuckled. “I’d love to turn around before you do though. Will make things a bit more interesting.”

“No.” Robin simply said, and climbed on top of the man, basically sitting on his ass while kneading his back.

He had almost gone over the whole back twice when there was a polite cough from the doorway.

“I’m assuming nothing improper is going on, Master Richard?” Alfred asked.

“Of course not!” Robin said with all the indignity someone who was now slightly sweaty and sitting on top of a practically naked man, both covered in oil, could muster.

“Very well. I came to remind you to prepare for lunch.”

“Oh, of course. We’ll be there,” Robin promised. “I’m done now.”

“What, no happy ending? What am I paying you for?” Slade asked.

“Behave, Mr. Wilson,” Alfred told him, sounding scandalous, but they could both hear him chuckling as he walked away.

During lunch, discussions about the case caused an argument. Well, it was Sunday lunch so no arguments allowed, Alfred reminded the gentlemen by clearing his throat. Robin remained quiet as he didn’t want to take sides unless asked. And the he would, he was afraid, side with Bruce.  
“I understand you wanting revenge on the actual people behind this, but no. I will not allow you to go after anyone,” Bruce growled.

“They need to pay.”  
“Then we’ll make sure to provide the government with what we know. They will be arrested and sentenced.”

Slade burst out in a short sarcastic laugh. “What’s more likely to happen is that they buy themselves free. Possibly with what they know about me or any other meta humans they have experimented on.”

Here Robin had to cut in, because Slade hadn’t been very forthcoming with information, and with him having been sick the teen hadn’t wanted to question him, but he was curious. “Speaking of others, did you free anyone else back at that base?”

“I tried. I’d figured the more of us out for blood the better. But I found no one alive. I found abandoned cells and… freezes. Full freezes. With at least twenty bodies. One of which a girl, couldn’t have been more than ten. And these people Wayne wants to hand over to the _justice system_.” Slade said the last part with unconcealed disdain. He also looked at Robin in a way that clearly demanded a statement from the teen. Robin inwardly groaned.

“Slade… they are clearly monsters, but… you know I can’t tell you that it’s okay to kill them. Isn’t there any other way to destroy them? Something that absolutely would get them locked up?”

Slade’s shoulders lowered a bit and he grunted, reaching for another portion of roast beef. He accepted defeat, though, and was clearly considering what Robin had just asked.

“Kiddie-porn,” he suddenly said, possibly the more offensive thing ever uttered as the Wayne lunch table.

“What?!” Robin said, almost choking on his bite.

“He’s right,” Bruce chimed in. “A hideous crime, that would put them away, no questions asked, and they… won’t have a good time in prison, if word gets out.”  
“ _Can_ word get out?” Slade asked the man, a challenge in his voice.

“For that little girl’s sake… it can,” Bruce told him, between clenched teeth. “Can it be done, though? Framing them?”

“I have contacts. Once I’ve tracked them down, I’ll make it happen.”

“Very well, I’m ok with that,” Bruce said, and Slade smirked.

“Heroes have the most questionable and twisted morals imaginable.”

Bruce just snorted, which Robin smirked right back at the man. “And isn’t that lucky for you?” he grinned.

Robin had to do school work in the afternoon, but he did so in the sitting room where Slade found him. The man joined him on the couch for some reading. The teen, who had been curled up on the couch, making notes while reading, somehow ended up with his feet in Slade’s lap. The man absentmindedly rubbed one of his feet with his hand while reading, like one would stroke a cat. It was nice. Robin wished he had his head on the man’s lap instead, though, but didn’t dare move.

When he was done with the chapter and needed to properly write the assignment on his computer, he sighed wistfully and pulled his feet away.

“I need my laptop,” he explained to the man, who looked up, and nodded before returning to his book. “Slade?” Robin added, nervously.

“Yes?”

“I was thinking… if you want to… Tonight, I could… maybe…?”

The tone of his voice got Slade’s full attention, and he put his book down.

“You sound so nervous that I’m getting my hopes up,” he commented.

“Well… could I come to your room, and… talk?”

“Of course,” Slade replied, quite quickly.

“Thanks. I think we have a few things to… talk about,” Robin said. “And I’d rather do it when no one else is around.”

_To be Continued…_


	14. Monday, 14 December ~* Both *~

After Sunday dinner, Alfred, of all people, had suggested that they’d watch a movie together, while Bruce patrolled the city. As it was a rarity that the old man asked for something like this, Robin immediately agreed. Slade had agreed too, and they had let Alfred pick. The choice had been an Italian movie, a rather melancholic thing involving the aftermath of the second world war in a small Italian village. It wasn’t something Robin would have chosen himself, but that made it, somehow, better. It was long, however, and as they had dinner late, it was midnight when the movie ended.

“Master Bruce is on his way home,” Alfred announced after a beep from his phone. “Things must have been quiet tonight.”

“Well, that’s good at least,” Robin smiled. “It’s way past my bedtime. Night!”

“Good night, Master Richard,” the old man smiled at him.

Slade followed Robin up the stairs, and when the teen passed his room, the man spoke up.

“Didn’t you want to talk?”

Robin stopped.

“Oh. Yeah. I kinda forgot, and now I’m a bit tired.”

“Change, get ready for bed and then come over,” Slade suggested. “We don’t have to talk tonight, just sleep. I think it would be good for us, don’t you?”

Robin swallowed, but nodded.

Ten minutes later he was curled up under the covers with Slade next to him. The man pulled him close, but nothing more than that for now.

“Is it still… difficult?” he asked.

“No. I’ve had a nightmare or two and woken up hating your guts again, but my brain has finally aligned with reality, I think,” Robin said, softly.

“Well, finally,” Slade chuckled.

“Hey!” Robin objected. “But… yes. It took a while.”

“And it might take even longer for it to be completely fine. You were traumatized. I find myself wishing that this never happened, not for my sake, but for yours.”

“But you were tortured! Almost to death!” Robin objected.

“In a way… so were you,” Slade told him firmly. “Maybe not to death, but tortured. And maybe something inside you _did_ die. I hope it didn’t, but at first I wasn’t sure.”

Robin snaked an arm around the man and pulled himself closer, hugging him.

“What I wanted to talk about,” he then said, hesitantly, “was… well…. things have changed. You know, since… you’ve been gone?”

“Yes?” the man urged him on, clearly not seeing where the teen was going with this.

“I’m a student now… for now, at least. So… the next couple of years…”

“Oh. I see.” Slade’s voice was dull and he pulled away a little sending Robin into a bit of a panic.

“No, wait, I don’t think you do!” he said.

“You don’t want to focus on your studies?” the man asked.

“Yes, but-”

“It’s understandable,” Slade interrupted. “Maybe, right now, it’s best if-UMF!”

Robin had sat up and slapped a hand over the man’s mouth.

“No, shut up! Listen, what I’m saying is that, I’m a student now, not a hero. And I will be here, in Gotham, not in Jump. So… I mean… do we… AAARGH! Do we have a chance here, Slade? Do you even _want_ me like this?”

“Mmpf.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

As soon as Robin removed his hand, the man pulled him down and kissed him. Slade rolled them over, and continued to kiss him passionately until the teen was completely out of breath.

“Is… that a yes?” he half panted, half laughed.

“Possibly, I can’t remember the question;” the man admitted with a chuckle of his own.

“I’m not too boring for you?”

“I doubt you ever could be. Even if you became an accountant and took up knitting as a main hobby.”

“I’d make sure you paid your taxes and knit you a new uniform, you’d look amazing,” Robin snickered.

“Full of threats, aren’t you?” the man growled playfully.

“Well, but seriously, though… I mean… Back then, in Jump, we… well, we didn’t really talk about… us. And that’s ok, because we weren’t… you know… there. We were just starting out, maybe just… having some fun?” he asked, unsure of his own words. He looked up at Slade’s face, but the man’s expression was so damn neutral that he _had_ to be hiding something. “But… I’m not sure I… that I’m ready to just have… fun.” Robin tried. “And I’m sure as hell not making any sense, am I?”

“Just a little bit,” the mercenary replied, and rolled off him so they ended up on their sides, facing and embracing each other again.

“I’m not trying to be unfair to you here, I’m not trying to make you promise anything, but…” Robin continued. “Just… ok. Short term. What are your plans after we take down those monsters?”

“I have absolutely no plans after that at all,” the man admitted.

“But… your… um… work? You don’t have any… assignments… lined up?”

“I dropped off the face of the earth for months and we’re in the middle of a pandemic. So no. I doubt it.”

Robin hesitated. He didn’t want to trap Slade into anything, or force him to make any promises, because he had a feeling that that wouldn’t sit well with the man, Slade was fiercely independent, after all, and so was Robin. Normally. But when it came to this kind of closeness… if he would dare let _any_ one _ever_ be that close to him again, it couldn’t be a one-night stand. It had to mean something.

“So could you stay? At least a week or two?”

“I was hoping to be invited to stay for the holidays, at least,” Slade told him.

That made Robin smile widely. “Yes! Of course you can stay! Please do?”

“Of course,” the man chuckled and kissed him again. The kiss was broken up early by Robin yawning, though. “That was the worst feedback I’ve ever gotten on my kissing technique,” Slade said, pretending to be affronted. Then he chuckled. “I think it’s time we slept. You need to be up bright and early tomorrow, after all.”

“Mhmm…” Robin mumbled and buried his face against the man’s chest.

“Good morning, Master Richard.”

“Mhm? Moring, Al…” Robin said, not even opening his eyes. It felt like he had just fallen asleep, there was no way it was already morning.

“I figured you had decided to sleep in, but your morning class is starting soon. I brought you some hot water for your tea.”

“Thanks…” the teen mumbled.

“I think you’ll find, though, that your tea calendar is in _your bedroom_.”

That woke Robin up. He sat up straight, looked around like he was suddenly on another planet, and saw Slade smirking at him over Alfred’s shoulder.

“I… we… we talked! I fell asleep!” Robin said.

“In my day we normally didn’t hold conversations in each other’s beds, we preferred to stand while conversing,” the old man let him know. “Now go get your tea. It’s chamomile tea with apples and cinnamon today. You seem to need to be… calmed down.”

_To be Continued…_


	15. Tuesday, 15 December ~* Shows *~

“Robin, may I have a moment?” Bruce asked the next morning.

“Ok?” the teen said. Slade had left for a bit, on an ‘errand’, and there was still some time to go before his class. Robin had just finished off his green tea with pomegranate, which was one of his favorites so far.

The man led him to his office, which meant it was serious. Robin had a feeling what it would be about.

“So…” Bruce looked a bit uncomfortable. This was really, really bad. “I’ve… noticed that you and Wilson are getting… close again.”

“We… are, I guess?” Robin admitted, although they hadn’t done more than stolen a kiss here and there.

“Alfred tells me he found you in his bed yesterday morning.”

“We were just sleeping,” Robin clarified. “Besides… is it… a problem?”

“No… no. Like I told you before, I’m not thrilled, but he seems to… treat you well?”

Robin heard the question and nodded. “And, I have to admit… at his core, he’s not… a bad man.” Bruce continued. “He lacks certain… morals, though. I just don’t want you to get hurt again.”

“Slade would never choose to hurt me. We’re taking things… slow,” Robin said, looking away. “He’s staying for the holidays. If… if that’s ok? Because we can go back to my apartment, we don’t have to stay here.”

“Both Alfred and I enjoy having you, but if you want more privacy, I’d understand,” Bruce said.

“I’d love to stay. For now. It’s good to see Al too, without worrying about bringing Corona into the house,” Robin admitted. “I’m really scared he’ll get sick,” he added in a somber tone.

“Me too. But in this house, we’ve never have had much of a problem with self-isolating,” Bruce said wryly. “And I made sure Mallory was mindful too… and got tested often.”

“Speaking of her…?” Robin let the question hang in the air.

“It’s over.” The man sighed. “I had hoped to have someone special to spend New Years with, but we were just too different.”

“I’m sorry,” Robin said, being one hundred percent dishonest. He was sorry for the man, of course, he also wished he’d find someone, but not this woman. Almost anyone else but her.

Slade wasn’t back again until evening, and Robin had started to get really worried.

“That was a long errand,” he commented.

“Yes,” was all the man said, with a teasing smirk.

“No explanation?”

“None whatsoever. It’s a surprise.”

“For me?” Robin grinned hopefully.

“For Bruce, actually.”

“Excuse me, what?”

“He’s been surprisingly generous. I owe him,” the man shrugged.

“Well… I guess… that’s… nice?” the teen said, not quite sure what to think. “Besides, I owe you a kiss, he and Mallory broke up.”

“Are you free for the next hour or so?” the man then asked.

“What did you have in mind? Kissing?” the former hero wanted to know coyly, butterflies in his stomach.

“I was thinking of beating you up.”

Robin gave him a blank stare.

“Sparring, Robin. Do you want to spar?”

“Ah. Yes. Please,” the teen replied. “Sure!”

Slade might still be a smidge slower than normal and a smidge less strong, but Robin still had to work very hard to keep from ending up flat on his face on the padded mat.

“Your instincts aren’t as sharp as they used to be,” Slade told him bluntly.

“They are now honed into finding interesting paragraphs to quote,” Robin admitted with a grimace.

“I think sparring should be our main focus, then. You need to stay on your toes.”

“I am!”

“More like your ass,” the man told him.

“Wha-” the teen had time to say before his legs were swept out from under him.

Okay, yeah. He had some work to do.

Later that night the teen was agonizing over Christmas shopping. He tried to support local businesses, but he also wanted to be safe and do it online. His normal way of Christmas shopping usually included walking around until he spotted something fitting, however, Now, he basically had to search for it. Some pages had different recommendations based on age, gender and price range, but he didn’t think Slade would appreciate “The Cross-word puzzle book”. But, to be fair, the man’s age wasn’t really a trusted factor here. He had to hurry, though. Most places delivered the same day, or the day after, but Christmas was creeping in fast, and he wanted it to be a good one, despite everything.

He was curled up on the couch in the sitting room enjoying a slowly dying fire while he was gift hunting on his phone. Slade walked in and sat down, his own phone in hand and Robin decided to leave the shopping be for now. He noticed that he had gotten an e-mail from the university and opened it. He eyed through it and groaned.

“Do they think we’re building a damn library?” he complained.

“What?” Slade asked.

“I’ve gotten a confirmation about which classes I’m taking next term, with the required reading. This will be a pain.”

“Can’t be that bad, let me see,” Slade said. Robin handed him the whole and the man scrolled through the list. And scrolled. And scrolled. “Alright, it _was_ that bad,” he chuckled. “You should wish for a bookcase for Christmas.”

“That’s an idea,” the teen muttered. “Maybe I should try to reserve some of these books at the library now, just in case,” he sighed. “But I just can’t be bothered right now. Rub my feet again?” he asked sweetly.

“I’m very willing to rub anything of yours,” the man leered.

Robin didn’t answer, but mostly because he rather wanted to let him.

_To be Continued…_


	16. Wednesday, 16 Dec~* Us *~

“We’re getting closer,” Slade told Robin over breakfast the next morning. Nothing more had happened between them. Robin had been sleeping in his own bed too, but they were touching more and more, and the foot rub last night had left the teen moaning. The teen blushed.

“Yes, well… I wouldn’t mind if we-” he started but then realized that Bruce and Alfred were in the room. “Wait… with the case?”

Slade seemingly swallowed a piece of toast the wrong way.

“Yes,” Bruce answered in his stead. “We’ve been able to hack more of their systems. Their electronic security is one of the tightest I’ve seen, but we’re trying to find out more about their physical security.

“Good.” Robin took a sip of his black, rhubarb- and strawberry tea and pretended that nothing had happened. It tasted a bit of summer. Slade kept giving him very amused looks for the rest of the meal.

The thing was that Robin was… itchy. The warmth he had started to feel again for the man had more and more changed into lust. He had woken up several times from wet dreams, and he very much wanted to do something about it. At the same time, Slade, of course, needed to be focused on getting well and working on the case, and Robin didn’t want to take away from that, even though he knew the man wouldn’t mind one bit. Work always came first. Maybe it would have been different if they had been staying in his apartment, but this whole house was like a reminder of duty, seriousness and responsibility.

Damn it, he wanted to jump that man so badly.

He found that he couldn’t focus on the paper he was writing if he was sitting on his own, so he took his work down into the cave with him. Bruce was busy up in his office with actual business, but Slade was working tirelessly, peeling away layer after layer of security, discovering hidden servers, local networks and passwords. The employees consisted of a ‘board’ of sorts, who were the people Slade deemed needed to pay, but also a small staff of security, administrative and maintenance personnel. They electronic way into the building were through them. Once they were allowed to log in from home, from private phones or computers, the system was vulnerable. It was much easier to get into a civilian’s computer, and they usually had the passwords necessary stored. Tracking them down took time, of course, but it was worth it.

He got a lot of work done, which was great, because after Slade swore quite loudly, he knew something important had been discovered.

“What is it?” he asked.

“A… complication.”

“Tell me.”

Slade hesitated, which made Robin irritated.

“Come on! We agreed I was getting involved! We’ve been training like crazy! Stop treating me like a has-been!” the teen growled.

“It’s not that. It’s that I just thought of a solution. Involving you. And you’re not going to like it.”

“Try me.”

“We need to completely destroy two areas,” Slade explained and pointed to 3D blueprint of the building on one of the screens. “The samples, located here,” he said, indicating the fourth floor, “And the server room, located here,” he added, pointing to the top floor. “Both floors are extra heavily guarded, as we saw the other night, with loads of electronic security. We can blast our way in, well, I can, the Bat will be pretty useless, but we need to work with the servers in two ways. We need to activate a virus that will corrupt all the data on anything the servers are in contact with, and then we need to blow them up to be absolutely sure. So, we need to get into the server room and work through them, and that will take a while. There is, however, one possible way in. This ventilation shaft. We didn’t count on it, because it’s much too small. For Bruce and me.”

“I don’t like it,” Robin groaned.

“Said you wouldn’t.”

Robin enlarged the blueprint and studied the ventilation.

“I’m not sure it’s even possible!”

“Well, we’ll find out. Is it Alfred I should ask about building materials?”

“Building materials?” Robin asked.

“To make sure it’s possible.”

The teen still had no idea what the man was on about, but nodded.

Late that evening there was full activity in the Batcave, the screech of metal being cut, the flashes of soldering. They were all helping, but the teen had taken the role as assistant, as he couldn’t quite wrap his head around Slade’s vision.

At eleven PM it was finally done. A replica of the ventilation shaft Robin would have to get through. It seemed impossibly narrow.

“I don’t even know how to do this,” Robin admitted nervously.

“Don’t worry, I’ve called in an expert.” Slade said. “Just as soon as they get their test results, they will be here.”

“You’ve… what?” Bruce exclaimed. “You have invited someone here?”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Slade smirked. “You won’t mind.”

_To be Continued…_


	17. Thursday, 17 December ~* That *~

The next morning, Robin almost choked on his strawberry-, lemon- and vanilla green sencha tea, when Selina Kyle sauntered into the room during breakfast. Bruce dropped his croissant into his coffee, making it splash everywhere.

Slade just grinned and stood up to greet her.

“Good to see you,” he said.

“I’m here for a good cause, aren’t I?” she grinned. “Bruce, close your mouth.”

“How did you get in?” the man asked, a bit rudely but it was clear he was too flabbergasted to care.

“How I got in? Me? The former master thief? The world’s greatest detective, everybody,” she announced, gesturing to the man.

“Former?” Slade asked, pulling out a chair for her. Robin thought he was being a bit too attentive, honestly. Besides, Catwoman damn well didn’t need or want men pulling out her chair. The woman just smiled at the man, however, before taking her seat, making the teen’s frown deepen. As she sat down, she put a sports bag she had had over her shoulder down on the floor. She was dressed in a dark purple sweater dress which hugged her form perfectly, and black tights. She looked good. Robin somewhat resented that too.

“Morning kid, what’s with the grumpy look? You’re usually glad to see me?” Selina said. Then she seemed to pick up on something and looked from Robin to Slade and back again.

“No…?” She said, in disbelief. “No-ho-ho-ho?” She then broke out into a full belly laugh, even getting tears in her eyes.

“Tea or coffee, ma’am?” Alfred politely asked as he stood up.

“A… a cup of your amazing tea, please, Alfred,” she answered before breaking down again.

“What’s so funny?” Bruce asked in a clipped voice.

“You, my love,” the woman said. “For years you have been agonizing about us being too different, on opposite sides of the law… and now your ward is hooking up with Deathstroke.” She gestured to said man, who tried, and failed, to look innocent. “He’s a _killer_ , for crying out loud! I used to steal trinkets!”

“Well, I’m not exactly thrilled-”

“I’m sure the Boy Wonder is, though,” Selina said, winking at Robin. “Nice catch.”

“Thank… you?” The teen answered a bit hesitantly and glanced over at Slade, who looked surprisingly smug to be described as someone’s ‘catch’.

Still chuckling, she reached for a piece of toast. “I’m very glad I came. This will be interesting,” she purred mirthfully.

Robin had classes, and in the afternoon, he found himself wishing that he had evening classes too.

“This will work,” Selina claimed, looking at the full scale model of the ventilation shaft. “It will be a tight fit, but as long as you keep your cool-”

“I think these two,” Robin said, gesturing to Batman and Slade, “remember me as smaller than I am.”

“You _have_ had a growth spurt, haven’t you, kid? It suits you. Just don’t have another one while in there,” she snickered and gestured to the metal death trap.

“Ok, so you need to go straight down, then there’s a ninety-degree bend when the duct connects with the horizontal part of the ventilation. There will be a fan a way in, in front of you, but luckily the way you need to go is clear. That is, until you arrive at the right spot. Then you need to cut open the hatch and let yourself out,” Batman explained.

“Cut?” Robin asked.

“The screws are on the outside. We discussed different solutions, but decided that a miniaturized metal cutting tool is best. It gets extremely hot, though, so you need to be careful. You also need to secure the hatch so it doesn’t fall down.”

“We’ve made several sections of that last part, so you can practice,” Slade cut in.

“How many times do I have to do this?” Robin groaned.

“As many as it takes,” the man shrugged callously.

Robin was in hell. The sides of the air vent brushed his shoulders on both sides, and it felt like he would get stuck if he took a deep breath.

“Couldn’t you assholes at least welded this better?” he groaned. “The joints are fucking sharp!”

“They will most likely be in the real thing too,” Slade told him unapologetically.

“Fucking hate you…” Robin muttered quietly.

“Glad to hear it,” Bruce chimed in, making the teen chuckle despite himself.

“Stop whining, kitten, and use your shoulders like I told you,” Selina said from the outside.

The bend was the worst. Robin was convinced that he was going to die.

“Take a minute. Center yourself,” Bruce advised. Their voices were clear through Robin’s ear piece. 

“Slade, please center your foot up Bruce’s ass,” Robin growled.

“Master Richard, such language!” Alfred exclaimed.

“Oh, sorry Al, didn’t know you were there,” Robin groaned.

“He brought us sandwiches,” Slade declared, sounding pleased.

“For the love of…” Robin groaned.

He was wearing protective gear, in a thin material which surface was designed to let him slide easier against surfaces. Not that it felt easy. At all.

It took him half an hour to get through, open the hatch and drop down on the floor.

“There. Did it,” he grunted, looking around, looking for praise.

“You need to at least half that time,” Slade told him.

“You’re making enough noise to alert the whole building. All sounds travel through the vents,” Bruce added.

“You did ok for a beginner,” Selina smiled, she was wearing an outfit similar to Robin’s as they had been practicing. “Let me show you how it’s done.”

It took her five minutes, with the exception that she didn’t have to open the hatch.

“Ok, great, then you’ll do it. I’m not needed here anymore,” Robin said, feeling rather humiliated.

“Sorry, dear, no can do, I’ve left that life behind. I can’t risk being caught on any surveillance. There’s not a lot of people with my build in the city being able to do this, they would have no problem identifying me.”

“Yes, I want Selina out of this,” Bruce agreed. The two of them had apparently spent most of the day together while Robin had been busy with his schoolwork, and, judging by the looks and smiles they exchanged, they might very well spend the night together too. “But if you feel that you can’t do it, Robin, we’ll find another way.”

Robin met all of their gazes and then sighed. “I can do it,” he muttered and headed back to the scaffolding that would take him up to the start of the ventilation shaft.

“You don’t want a sandwich, Master Richard?” Alfred offered.

“That might actually get me stuck and kill me,” Robin said. “I think I need to be on a diet until this is over,” he added. It was a joke. Mostly.

_To be Continued…_


	18. Friday, 18 December ~* True *~

Robin was exhausted the next day and almost fell asleep during the morning lecture. His body was also aching, and he gulped down his white tea with grapefruit- and aloe, hoping the aloe would somehow work internally.

After class he, gathering all the strength he had, finally ordered the presents. They weren’t going to be anything expensive, especially as he was willing to wager that Selina would be around at Christmas, and had bought her a little gift as well, a couple of handmade soaps. At least he was using his own money, that he had literally sweated his ass off for. He bought them all locally and most were promised to be delivered that very evening.

He had just finished when his bedroom door swung open.

“Aren’t your classes done? We need to train,” Slade told him.

“Please no?” Robin groaned.

“We’re doing this Tuesday night, it needs to be perfect.”

“We can fuck right now, if you just give me today off!”

Slade, to his credit, only hesitated for a moment.

“Sorry. This is too important. Come now or I’ll carry you downstairs.”

“That sounds good. Carry me. I can’t walk,” Robin whined.

So Slade did. Over his shoulder. Spanking the teen’s butt every now and then.

“You raised a whiny, lazy little brat,” the mercenary told Bruce as they entered the Batcave. Robin felt really hurt for a moment, before he was let down and saw the smirk and the glittering in the man’s eye. He had just been joking.

“University changed him,” Bruce sighed, joking as well. “Come on, we’ll start working on where to plant the explosives.”

“Are you sure you won’t bring the place down?” the teen said after seeing the charges. “And how am I supposed to bring all that with me?”

“They are carefully calculated so they won’t harm the structure. And in a bag. Which you also need to practice with.”

“Yay.”

“He’s sarcastic too,” Slade pointed out.

“Wait until you hear about his taste in men,” Bruce told him.

“Actually, I’m straight now,” Robin claimed innocently.

The work wasn’t exhausting or difficult. Robin knew his way around a server room, and even though they didn’t know how it looked inside of this particular one, it was easy enough to determine how to place the explosives in different scenarios. Robin practiced until he smoothly and quickly could pick a charge from the bag, fastened it and arm it, before moving onto the next. After less than an hour Bruce decided they had done enough in that area. The others had been busy deciding on how to place similar charges around their own targets, and they had even less of an idea about how that would look. Slade had experiences from the other site and it was most likely similar, but they didn’t know, so the amount of material then needed was uncertain. They would have to think on their feet, but neither man had problems with that, after all.

Then it was time for lunch.

“Where is Selina, by the way?” Robin asked innocently as they were eating. He thought he saw Bruce’s cheeks color just a smidge.

“She… is running some errands. She… is going to quarantine here with us for a while, so she needed to pick some things up.”

“Well, that’s reasonable, as she’s helping out,” Robin nodded wisely.

“Exactly,” Bruce agreed quickly, sounding relieved.

“So, which bedroom is she in?” Robin then asked sweetly. “Have you prepared it yet, Alfred? Want me to help?”

“We-we have that sorted,” Bruce quickly cut in. “Anyway, after lunch we’ll do more training with the vent,” he added, vengefully.

Robin looked to Slade for help, but found no sympathy. At least not enough for him to get out of it.

“We’re going to be there at the beginning,” Slade told Robin. “Getting the hood off the ventilation shaft, before we lower ourselves down to our floor. So, we’ll make sure you’re on your way.”

“How do we know for sure there won’t be anything in the way?” Robin said.

“We don’t. But we know enough about ventilation to know that it wouldn’t make sense for it to be blocked by anything. If it is…” Slade hesitated, like he didn’t want to think about that option. “You have your metal cutter. It would be difficult to know exactly where you would end up, but you can get out.”

Robin knew that was mostly bullshit. Yes, the cutter was very powerful, but it was one thing to cut through four screws and another to cut a hole in sheet metal big enough for him to climb out from. If he had even cut the hole where the vent went through a room, if it was going through a wall, he wouldn’t get out anyway. But if Slade wanted him to feel like he had a security blanket, the teen was willing to pretend that too.

“I want to try climbing back up,” he said a bit later, as he had just made it down the horizontal path.

“Alright,” he was told, so he tried.

“There’s no way. I can’t get enough leverage to lift myself up enough,” he said after a while, panic starting to well up inside him again. He wanted out. He wanted out now.

“Robin,” Slade’s voice said in his ear. “Continue on. Follow the plan. That’s the way out. You’re soon there. We’ll open the hatch so you don’t have to do it yourself this time. This was just warm up. Show us how it’s done.”

The teen took a deep breath. He didn’t know what it was about Slade, but the man had a way of helping him center himself, that not even Bruce had. He started moving and his muscle memory took over. It was just a job he had to do.

_To be Continued…_


	19. Saturday, 19 December ~*Love *~

It was early. It was practically still night. Robin had woken up from a suffocating nightmare around three and couldn’t go back to sleep. He really, really hated small spaces! He could stand on the very edge of an abyss, staring straight down into it and be excited to jump, but this? But he had to. And part of being a hero was being brave enough to do things even though you were afraid. There was no bravery without fear. Still… The black cookies-and-cream flavored tea had only soothed him to a certain extent, and now he was sitting up in bed wondering what to do next. He then realized what he _wanted_ to do.

He opened the door to Slade’s bedroom as quietly as he could. The man was sleeping on mainly one side of the bed, so there was no problem for the teen to slip under the covers on the other side. He had hoped Slade wouldn’t wake up, but of course he did.

“Feeling ok?” the man asked, pulling him close.

“Nightmare.”

“How can I help?”

“You already are,” Robin claimed and snuggled close.

“I’ve talked to Bruce and Selina, but they won’t budge. She’ll be helping from a distance as a look out, that’s all.”

“Why did you talk to them? Don’t you think I can do it?” Robin asked, a bit angrily.

“No, obviously you can, but I don’t want you to have to. Unfortunately… there’s no other way. Not if we want to do this the stupid way.”

“The ‘not-killing-everyone-inside’ way?”

“Exactly.”

“Ah well. Stupid hero morals,” Robin chuckled.

“Yes. But I have to put up with them for your sake, don’t I?”

“I’d hope so,” Robin grinned up at the man and then stretched enough to be able to kiss him. “Wanna… do stuff?”

“Always.”

It was early in the morning, so he wasn’t taking up any work-time for Slade and wasn’t disturbing his focus in any way, Robin figured. That meant it could be _his_ time. He kissed the man again, and then continued to kiss his way down his chest.

“Do you want to-?” Slade started asking.

“Mmm!” Robin confirmed and, with a grin, got completely under the covers.

In a parallel universe Alfred walked in on that scene, but here it was three-thirty in the morning and no one to disturb them. Using hands and tongues they pleased and teased each other until at least Robin was a sweaty, quivering mess.

“Make me… please!” he gasped, and arched his back as the man honored his wish. Something wet landed on his chest a second later, and Robin looked up blearily to see Slade just finishing touching himself.

“Oh…. I’m… sorry,” the teen panted. “I just…” he said. “Too much…” he added, with a blissful smile and half-closed eyes. “Sorry, that was selfish…” he added, a bit more contrite now.

“I enjoy seeing you like this far too much for holding anything against you,” the man chuckled. “Besides.. you’ll make it up to me?”

“Yes, I will,” Robin grinned. “’M tired,” he added in a mumble.

“Nope, you’re not falling asleep without cleaning up first, Alfred doesn’t need to see you like this, nor any stains,” Slade told him firmly and pulled him out of bed. That threat was enough to get the teen to realize the danger too, however, and soon they were in the ensuite bathroom together, cleaning up in the shower. Which led to a round two, where Robin was quite generous indeed.

“You’re not… I mean, you don’t mind that we didn’t… do it?” Robin asked a bit later, when they were back in bed together. It was still early, it was Saturday, and the teen damn well didn’t want to get up just yet.

“We didn’t do it? What the hell was all that sweating and moaning about, then?” Slade chuckled.

“I mean... you know… do it-do it.”

“Ah. No. When you feel ready-”

“It’s not that, I just didn’t want to go all the way right then, I just wanted to have some fun,” Robin claimed, though he wasn’t sure it was the whole truth.

“Plenty of fun was had,” Slade confirmed.

Robin snickered and then yawned. “I think I might be able to sleep for a bit longer.”

“Want to stay?”

“Hell yes.”

“Not caring about Alfred’s opinions?”

“Alfred likes you. I think he likes the idea of you and me too. He’s just making sure I’m… ok,” Robin smiled.

“Which is very good. Do you know if he enjoys anything specifically? Whiskey? Porter?”

“I rarely see him drink at all. Except for tea.”

“Well, tea it is, then. I’m sure someone sells ridiculously overprized bags of dried leaf litter somewhere, that can work as a proper present.”

“Might even find _two_ places,” Robin snickered again. “Now hush. Me sleep.”

“Yes, sir. Might join you,” Slade chuckled.

Robin was out like a light within minutes.

_To be Continued…_


	20. Sunday, 20 December ~* Exists *~

“You’ve outdone yourself, Alfred,” Robin said, looking out over the lunch table. Alfred had made roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy, like a version of a thanksgiving dinner.

“Well, I see it as a dress rehearsal for Christmas dinner,” Alfred beamed, his cheeks slightly red. “Besides, with Miss Kyle joining us, I wanted it to be special.”

“Oh, Alfred, you sweet, sweet man! If I wasn’t dating Bruce…” the woman grinned.

“Pish-posh,” mumbled the embarrassed old man and busied himself with starting sending the different bowls of vegetables around.

Slade and Robin had given each other a look when Selina had used the ‘dating’ term. The teen was pleased. He liked the woman and he could be completely himself around her, which was a huge plus.

“So, kid, how is practice going?” the woman asked.

“My time is much better now. Nowhere near yours, but acceptable, according to the tyrants,” he said, indicating Bruce and Slade.

“You’re getting very good,” Slade told him, earning himself a treat or two in bed later, Robin decided.

“We should practice more tonight, before dinner. If you have time?” Bruce added to the teen. “Has schoolwork been going ok?”

“No more seminars until after New Year’s, but a few assignments are due. Nothing I can’t handle, though, and nothing is actually due until the beginning of January.”

“Good. I passed by the building last night. As Batman I can pass over any roof without it being suspicious, after all. I made sure to check on the vent, and getting the hood off shouldn’t be a problem.”

Robin nodded. He had secretly hoped that Bruce would discover something that made the whole thing impossible, but no such luck. Ah, well. He was better at working through his fear now. At least that’s what he always thought until he was actually in there.

He glanced out the window.

“It’s snowing!” he exclaimed, happily.

The other, _older,_ adults around the table made less enthusiastic noises.

“Oh, come on! It’s beautiful!” Robin scolded them. “It’s mostly been grey slush all winter so far, maybe now it will stay!”

“I shall remember asking you for help clearing the stairs later, then Master Richard,” Alfred said lightly. “To make sure you don’t miss the full experience of it, of course.”

“No problem,” Robin said, a bit less enthused now, but he was still secretly excited about the snow. The other people were just too practical and boring, he decided.

Slade and he sparred after lunch. Well. An hour after lunch. Both felt a bit too full to be doing anything before then. Bruce and Selina were in the cave as well, discussing strategy. She was going to keep an eye on things from the outside, after all, and needed to know what to look for and what scenarios to possibly suggest. They were busy, though, so when Slade caught him Robin didn’t fight to get free, instead he quickly kissed the man’s neck. And so the game started. A ‘tag’ was now not a strike, it was a kiss or a fondle, quick enough so they wouldn’t be found out, but the kisses were getting longer and bolder as the game progressed. It finally ended when Selina noticed them and giggled, alerting Bruce to the fact that there was something wrong. Slade and Robin pretended that nothing was awry, however, and continued sparring normally until Bruce turned his back again. A while after that, the game was back on.

“AH-HA!” Bruce exclaimed after a moment, spinning around, catching them red handed… or red lipped. “I knew you were up to something!”

“We’re just working with motivation and incentive,” Slade smirked.

“Very motivated over here,” Robin grinned back. He was flushed from both working out and getting found out, but he wasn’t really worried. Bruce wouldn’t have a fit, and he didn’t.

“That’s a good idea, you wanna try that, Bruce?” Selina asked innocently.

“Can be used while wrestling too,” Slade contributed.

“Everyone, get back to work!” Bruce barked, looking bothered.

“We’re ready to hit the showers, I think,” Slade said, walking off the mat. “Good fight, Robin, you’re as good as you ever were. Maybe better.”

“Well, doing it with you helps,” the teen smiled, not realizing what he had said until he heard a choked sound and a delighted laugh from the other two. “Sparring!” he added.

“Sure, sure,” Slade chuckled. “Come on, let’s get naked and wet together and call it a shower.”

At that moment there was a sound from the intercom. It was an old system, but still the most effective way for Alfred to reach them all throughout the house at once.

“I hope you are able to join me in the sitting room in one hour, for the tree,” the man asked, though it was more of an order.

“The tree?” Slade asked Robin.

“The Christmas tree!” The teen felt excited. “He refuses to put it up early, apparently, when he was a child, they usually didn’t do it until Christmas Eve. He heard about someone doing it in November the other day, and trust me, there was a rant,” Robin chuckled. “Let’s hurry up and shower, unless he had the delivery people do it, he might need help putting the tree up.”

Slade seemed to realize that it wouldn’t be a very exciting shower after all, but accepted defeat.

They all helped decorate the tree, although Slade tended to hang back and sip the mulled wine Alfred had provided. Robin respected that it was probably not his thing, and that the whole family vibe might make him feel uncomfortable. A Christmas record was playing on the old gramophone, there was a fire, glittering silver tinsel, beautiful baubles in different shapes and colors, Robin couldn’t help it, he felt pretty moved. And, even though he wasn’t sure how Slade would react, he sidled up to the man when Bruce put the star on top and put an arm around him. Slade did the same and pulled him close, making the teen practically melt into his side with a big smile on his face. This was a perfect way to forget about the fact that you’d be pushing your way through a narrow vent in two days’ time. 

“I have prepared some tea and treats,” Alfred announced when he deemed the work done.

“Oh, I forgot about my tea today!” Robin suddenly realized.

“I wonder why…?” Slade asked innocently, knowing full well that he had been the distraction.

A little while later they were all sitting in front of the fire, Robin with a cup of black truffle- and chocolate flavor tea that when perfectly with the cookies and homemade treats Alfred had supplied.

“Bruce,” Slade suddenly spoke up. “I need to ask you something personal.”

“Alright… what?” the man asked guardedly.

“How come, and please take this the right way, how come, living like this, you’re not just really, really fat?”

_To be Continued…_


	21. Monday, 21 December ~*And *~

“What is it today?” Slade asked at breakfast.

“White tea with apple-, pear- and grenadine flavor.” Robin read off the package. “Sounds interesting.”

“Sounds like a fruit salad. Is the taste of tea so horrible that they need to disguise it as much as possible?”

Robin chuckled. Bruce was already at work. Alfred was also busy somewhere and Selina had gone into town. Robin wasn’t sure what she did for a living now when she claimed to have left the criminal world behind, but he didn’t want to snoop either. He was sure that Bruce knew, and if he was okay with it, Robin wasn’t going to question it. Not throwing rocks in glass houses here. It was just the two of them, and it suited the teen just fine.

Slade was idly playing with a fruit knife as he was doing something on his phone. He put his phone down and all of a sudden slashed the top of his own hand with the blade.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Robin gasped, staring at him, wondering if he had gone mad.

The man looked back, puzzled, while wiping the blood off his hand.

“What?”

“You just cut yourself!”

“Yes?” Then he apparently realized why the young man had reacted, and snorted. “Robin, come on, I’m not psychotic, use your brain.”

The teen, feeling rather affronted, thought about it all for a moment, and then understood what was really going on.

“You’re checking your healing factor?”

“Bingo.”

“Are you… worried it has… vanished?”

“When I’ve been injured before, it has been a bit… wonky, at times, afterwards.”

“Wonky? Your healing ability? Wonky?”

“It has been slower, sometimes faster, than usual. I just like to keep track.” The man looked at the top of his hand. “Stopped bleeding. Good. If it had already been gone, it would have been working too quickly. I think that drains me, and might be the reason I collapsed.”

“Not taking a fucking break might have helped with that too,” Robin muttered.

“I’d love to take a fucking break,” Slade, predictably, leered back.

It had been a joint agreement, of sorts, that today was a day of rest and relaxation. Well, from the work with the mission at least. They had done everything they could, they had gone through what to wear, gadgets they would need, none of them easily connected to Batman, of course. In fact, Slade was going in in full uniform. He wanted to make damn sure they knew it was him who took them down, and Batman had agreed as the others then would most likely be dismissed as hired hands.

Slade had chuckled and said that was a suitable status, and Bruce had concurred, saying that he was happy to draw up an invoice for his time, materials, and room and board. Robin had then chimed in that he wondered if Bruce would charge Slade for him as well, and the mercenary had burst out laughing. Bruce had rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath, which, Slade informed him later, had been something along the line of ‘cheap’ and ‘on the house’.

The teen had spent the whole night in Slade’s room, and they had tired each other out. They still hadn’t gone ‘all the way’ again, though. Robin discovered that the thought of it made him balk… like he would jinx it all and wake up alone again. He knew it was stupid, but as most of his brain had come around by now, he thought it was just a matter of time.

“Master Richard, if I may remind you of the stairs? And the servant’s entrance too, please, I’m expecting deliveries later this morning,” Alfred told him from the doorway, interrupting thoughts of fun things you could do in bed.

“Of course, I’ll get right on it,” Robin said.

“Thank you. I’ll have hot cocoa ready for you when you are done.”

Robin didn’t even question how the man would be able to keep an eye on his progress and make sure the hot treat was ready at that very moment, because that was simply Alfred-magic. It just happened.

It had turned quite cold overnight and a lot more snow had fallen, closing some roads and causing some problems. Yesterday he had been able to get the snow off with a broom, but now it took a shovel. The actual driveway was cleared by the groundskeeper people, but the stairs were the responsibility of the inside crew, meaning, right now, Robin. Why that was, the teen didn’t know, but it had to do with contracts and such, he suspected. 

The sky was blue, without a single cloud. Robin got dressed warmly in some of his old clothes he still had at the manor and got to work. He hadn’t asked or expected it, but Slade joined him, making the work much quicker.

“Still like snow?” the man laughed at him when they were almost done and Robin slipped spectacularly and ended up on his ass in the stuff.

“Yes,” Robin insisted, “I just don’t like ice.”

The hot chocolate was, of course, handed to them the moment they came inside, and they drank it in the sitting room, warming up. They ended up stealing a few kisses on the couch and Robin stretched out alongside Slade, resting his head on the man’s shoulder. Life was good. It was just a pity it would suck tomorrow.

He rested there, admiring the tree. It now had presents under it. His own had been delivered and he had wrapped them himself. He hoped his family would like them. He and the Teen Titans had decided not to exchange gifts this year and instead make a donation to different charities in Jump. It seemed to make more sense. He wondered about next Christmas. Would it be back to normal or not? It seemed impossible to him that it wouldn’t, but on the other hand he had expected this whole pandemic to be over in a few weeks, and now it’s been nearly a year. He put a lot of hope to a vaccine, but knew that wouldn’t be a quick fix. Many would refuse it too, making it less effective overall. While he could understand the hesitation because of what happened with the swine flu vaccine, he personally saw it as his civic duty to take it. He also knew that what happened with the swine flu vaccine was extremely rare. Would there be some side effects for some people? Possibly, but if the world was going to be able to go back to a somewhat normal existence again, the vaccine was the way to go, he was sure of it.

Now, if there was only a vaccine against claustrophobia…

_To be Continued…_


	22. Tuesday, 22 December ~*That *~

There were two things Robin hadn’t trained for. The smell and the dirt.

They had arrived at the building at around eleven PM, and made sure everyone’s coms worked as they should. They had earpieces in and microphones on their collars, that they just needed to press once to activate or deactivate. Selina was set up on the next building over and would move around to other locations if necessary.

They all had belts with anything they might need, although Robin’s belt was currently in the bag of explosives. He couldn’t risk it getting stuck on anything and wouldn’t put it on until he was through.

It took Slade and Batman a depressingly short time to remove the hood from the ventilation, and the small, black rectangle was suddenly staring at him. And now it went down into a building, it wasn’t free-hanging, like the one he had practiced in. That one he could have been cut out from, if things went really bad, but not now, not in this.

He was going down feet first. They had tried head first only once, but the teen had panicked so badly that they had had to get a rope around his foot and pull him out. He had just been unable to move. That couldn’t happen now. It couldn’t. He felt himself starting to hyperventilate, but he tried not to show anything. He had promised himself that morning, while drinking a horrible bergamot- and orange flavored black tea, not to let his nerves show. So he didn’t. He hoped.

He and Bruce had masks that covered their whole face, and so, of course, had Slade, although he was wearing his usual two-toned one. Robin’s was off right now, as he adjusted his earpiece. Slade lifted his up.

“You ok?”

“I will be. When we’re home again,” Robin muttered, finding it pointless to pretend he was happy about this, although he didn’t want them to know he was terrified.

“I didn’t thank you for doing this, did I?” Slade

“That’s the thing with us stupid heroes, there’s no need to thank us,” the teen drawled. Slade then pulled him close and kissed him. Right there, in front of Batman. And it wasn’t a quick kiss either, it was long, hot and passionate and, once it ended, it left the hero a bit dizzy.

“You- you’re welcome,” he stammered as Slade let him go, and then laughed a little. It had been exactly what he needed, he had to admit.

“Quite done?” Batman asked dryly. When Robin passed him, the man clapped his shoulder in passing, a gesture of encouragement as well. Both men, in their own way, showed him that they knew they were asking quite a lot of him.

Robin put on his mask again, made sure everything was in place, and then slowly lowered the bag into the hole with a rope, which had been the easiest way of doing it during practice. The rope had a clamp at the end that could remotely be detached like his grappling hook, so as soon as the bag softly landed at the bottom, Robin detached the rope and pulled it up again. He didn’t need that thing down there, getting in the way.

Slade acted as a step ladder to help him climb into the thing and supported him while he started to make his way down. As soon as he was on his way, he looked up and nodded, the signal for the other two to go. They did, and he was alone.

 _No. not alone_ , he mentally reminded himself. _I have the com. If I need help, I have the com._ The fact that it might be difficult to actually help him, was something he had to push out of his mind.

Almost at once, he noticed the dirt and the smell. It smelled of dust and old building. Not a stink, by any means, but one that made his nostrils want to close up. The sides were grimy, like the ventilation above a stove. He didn’t know what this building had originally been used for, before it had become a temporary base for Mr. Freeze. Perhaps it had housed a restaurant? Maybe the greasy feeling was just a natural build up of dust, it didn’t matter. What _did_ matter, however, was how slippery it made the inside. He needed to go vertically down the first part, after all, and had to stop himself from simply falling by pressing against the narrow sides as much as he could. He still managed, but then, suddenly, he came across a joint in the metal, and it was many times sharper than the ones in the model, making him instinctively pull his hand back up and hiss. And he slipped. It was only a couple of feet and he hadn’t caused any noise as far as he was aware, but it was a warning to take things more carefully. Not expecting things to be as practiced.

“We’re in position,” Bruce voice came through the intercom.

“Confirmed. Guard in the area, stay put.” Catwoman replied.

Robin wasn’t expected or supposed to say anything unless necessary, due to the fear of sound carrying. It was good to hear their voices, though. It reminded him again that he wasn’t alone.

He reached the bottom of the shaft, felt around carefully with his feet before putting them down, pushing the bag towards the opposite side to where he was going. He needed it to be by his head to be able to reach it later. He then stood there a moment to catch his breath and focus on the very difficult task ahead. This was the worst part, the part that made the panic well up the most inside him.

He had already learned that the metal seams were sharper than expected, and he winced as he got caught on another one while lowering himself down. He pushed on, however. And then, when he had entered the duct with his lower body and had his head and chest still bent in the vertical part, he got stuck.

His clothing had stuck on yet another joint, just over his knee. His suit was supposed to both protect him and help him push along the duct, but it must have been damaged or it had been snagged on a fold, because he couldn’t move that side any more into the duct, leaving him folded from his upper abdomen and up. His chest was pressed against the wall in front of him, as he had to lie down so he ended up on his stomach. He needed to move up to unhook himself, but he couldn’t get any traction, he couldn’t lift himself. He started to sweat and his heart was racing. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t. He was stuck. There was no way out.

“Clear. Go!” Selina suddenly said in his ear. He knew it wasn’t to him, but he took it as a sign. He couldn’t go back, so he had to push forward. Well… actually, backwards, as he had to crawl that way, but still. He knew what he meant. He kicked and pushed down with his leg with all his might, twisting as much as he could in the process. He felt fabric tear, a bit of burning pain and suddenly he was free. And now he had to move. The others had started, the guards in the building would hopefully be distracted and run to protect the samples, ignoring the servers. That was the plan, anyway, and he had to hope it was correct.

He shimmied on, like had had been taught. As fast as he dared, while still being as quiet as he could, and dragging the bag with him. He wasn’t nervous at all about the explosives, he knew they were perfectly harmless unless they were armed, and arming them took a bit of doing, so there was no way they could be triggered by accident. He tried not to think or feel, just push on. Suddenly his feet hit something. He panicked again for a moment, thinking the shaft ended, but it was simply the hatch. Finally. It was a little bit taller than they had expected, however. He pulled himself over it, noticing extra sharp edges here, and then reached for the bag. He rummaged around for his belt in the dark and found it. For the first time, he had a little bit of light from the heat of the cutting tool. Strangely, doing all this in the dark hadn’t bothered him at all. He hadn’t even thought about it. The dark he was okay with. Cramped spaces he was not.

Eager to get out, preferring real live guards to the ventilation duct, he started cutting through the screws. Once two were done he used one hand to hold the hatch so it wouldn’t fall down on the floor, causing way too much noise. When it finally detached, he angled it, pulled it up through the hole and placed it inside the vent. It was a bit tricky to do without hitting the sides and creating a ruckus, but he managed. Then he had to go forwards again, back over the now open hole, pushing both bag and, carefully, the hatch in front of him. The reason was that he wanted to go down feet first, or he might end up dropping from the ceiling onto his face.

It was finally time. The hatch was slightly narrower than the duct, and it scraped against his sides, but as soon as his hips were through, he was able to change the angle slightly and he just, barely, got through.

After landing on the floor below, the teen allowed himself three seconds of just breathing, before pushing his com.

“I’m in,” he said in a low voice.

“Good job, kid! The boys are busy downstairs, don’t think they have time to chat,” Selina let him know. “Everything is going according to plan, though.”

“Good to know, thanks. I’ll let you know when I’m done here,” Robin replied and then immediately got to work.

The server room was big, but very much like they had expected. He quickly placed every explosive. He hadn’t turned on the light in the room, but was using a dimmed flashlight to move around. The servers themselves had lights, creating a sort of ambiance lighting that was more than enough for him to navigate in after being in almost pitch blackness for a while. It all took some time as there were a lot of servers humming away but all of the charges now had a red light glowing. Once done, he pushed the com again. “All done here, run the virus,” he said.

“Roger that,” came Selina’s voice. “Hold on.”

Robin did, moving towards the door. One of the things they weren’t sure about, was if it was going to be possible to open from inside without a code or key of some sort. It should be, according to safety regulations, but who knew in a building with this kind of history. If not, they had prepared gadgets, but he was relieved to see that it had a simple turning lock on the inside.

“Virus sent. Activating charges, let me know,” Selina said next. They both, of course, knew what they were supposed to do, so no further explanations were needed. Robin watched as the little lights on the charges, one by one, turned green. Now they were dangerous. Now they were very, very dangerous.

“All green. Leaving.”

“Roger that.”

Just as Robin left, he heard gunfire from somewhere in the building. It was his job to ignore anything else but leaving, however, so he ran on silent feet to his designated exit point, a stretch of windows facing a nearby building. He attached one of his favorite new gadgets to it, something he had come up with himself. It fastened with a glue that originally came from the sticky X’es in Red X’s arsenal, and created very strong vibrations that found and resonated with the glass, until it shattered. Robin attached a wire to the thing and pulled on it as it did its work, and there was a good reason for that.

The window shattered in a million pieces, but the security plastic layer of it kept the pieces together. Now, however, it was easy to pull out of the frame, it simply folded. By pulling, Robin didn’t have to risk it falling outwards, which could mean unwanted attention, or possible hurt someone on the ground. He kept an eye on his surroundings as he did, but there was no one around, just like they had hoped. He pulled out his grapple gun, and pressed the com one last time.

“About to fly the nest.”

“Activating in ten,” Came Selina’s voice

Just before he leaped out, the building shook slightly from an explosion. Not from the server room, but from downstairs. Seemed Slade and Batman had reached their own target. Robin swung through the air, stifling a whoop of joy, and, as soon as he landed on the opposite roof, he took off running. They had a rendezvous point a few blocks from here, where they had a car waiting. They would meet on the roof of that building, and Robin was the first one to arrive. He had barely taken a breath before Selina came for a slightly different direction. The woman lifted her mask and grinned at him.

“Did you have fun?”

“Immensely,” Robin said dryly, but he was a bit proud of himself.

“You’re dirty. Your suit looks more gray than black,” the woman teased him.

Robin chuckled, looking down at his chest and seeing that she was very much correct.

“Yeah, I’m soaked too, he said, and absentmindedly wiped his side, just as Slade and Batman landed on the roof close by. He could literally feel sweat run down his sides, back and chest in rivulets.

“Everyone ok?” Batman asked, looking, of course, only at Robin, who was the only one who might not be, after all.

“Yes, I’m fine,” the teen said, wiping his brow. ”Are you? I heard gunfire?”

“Oh, shit,” Selina whispered, her eyes getting big. Batman and Slade had tensed as well.

“What?” Robin said, and then happened to glance down at his hand, just as, from a distance, the bells of Gotham Cathedral started to strike midnight. It was red.

He touched his side again, and it came away even redder. It wasn’t sweat making him feel soaked. It was blood.

_To be Continued…_


	23. Wednesday, 23 December ~*Fairy*~

Robin took a small step to the side, trying to steady himself. Slade rushed forwards, seemingly ready to catch him. The teen grabbed hold of him but didn’t collapse.

“I must have just… gotten a scratch… or two,” he said, trying to remain calm. The snowy ground where he was standing now had droplets of blood on it, and more kept falling.

“Let’s take him down to the car. Slade?” Bruce asked the man, who nodded and lifted Robin up.

The teen hissed. He had been running on adrenaline since the start of the evening, and that had very efficiently masked the worst of the pain. Yes, he had felt the sting of cuts and bruises, but nothing worse than that. Now the pain rolled in, though, with a vengeance. His whole body was burning, but he gritted his teeth and tried to remain as still as possible as Slade held him with one arm and the grapplehook with the other.

The car was, of course, not the Batmobile, but rather a somewhat beaten up and dirty van. If anyone had tried to steal it, however, they would have run into all kinds of difficulties, some of them quite painful. Batman unlocked it from a distance and Selina held the back door open for Slade, as he carried Robin inside. The insides were spotlessly clean and contained all kinds of tech and medical supplies. There, the man placed the teen on the floor and started tearing his clothes off.

“So this is why you’re not supposed to follow strangers into vans,” Robin tried to quip. Slade was too preoccupied to listen, though.

“Shit,” Selina, who was hunkered down next to them while Batman was driving, hissed.

“Is it bad?” Bruce asked from the front seat as he pulled out into the street. He couldn’t risk speeding and drawing attention to the car, no matter how much he wanted to.

“Mostly superficial cuts, some deeper. Some are gushers, but no severed major veins or arteries,” Slade reported. He then seemed to take a big breath. “He’ll be fine. You’ll be fine,” he added to Robin. Like he just noticed that the teen was there.

“Of course I’ll be fine, just help patch me up,” the teen snorted, feeling a bit woozy.

“You’ve still lost a lot of blood and the wounds are filthy. We’ll stop the bleeding from the worst ones and start cleaning the small ones.” Slade decided.

Robin invented some new curses on the way back, as cleaning the wounds hurt as hell. It was a familiar pain, he had just rarely felt it on this scale and on so many parts of his body at once before. Some gashes stretched almost the whole length of his body and most of them were on his sides and front, as he had been pushing himself backwards and forwards on his stomach. His back hadn’t been completely spared, though, but wasn’t as bad. Once cleaned, the shallow scratches stopped bleeding almost immediately, and they weren’t that bad at all, they just stung and made his skin feel a bit tight. The worst one was a deeper wound that went from the middle of his thigh to the side of his chest, varying in depth, and being the deepest over his ribs. A wound on his upper arm was probably also connected to that, and it had bled quite a bit but now, after being treated, wasn’t as bad as it first had looked.

“This might need stitches. Or at least tape,” Slade reported. He and Selina were keeping pressure on a few spots of the teen’s body.

“I’ll tell Alfred to prepare for that,” Bruce said and called the man up.

“I have a killer headache,” Robin muttered.

“And I’m not even trying to get you into bed,” Slade told him. Robin grinned weakly up at him. If Slade was joking, he was really going to be fine. Right now, he wouldn’t mind a bit of fast forwarding, however.

“Funny man. I’m breaking up with you,” the teen smirked.

“You might want to wait until after I stitch you up. Not that I would make the procedure extra painful in any way,” the man threatened with a smirk on his face. “But seriously, I don’t blame you for the headache, we’ll get some fluids in you soon.”

“Hey,” Robin mumbled, eyes closed. “I told you I wasn’t in the mood.” He heard Selina snicker.

“We can treat him for the blood loss, but I don’t think there’s any cure for his mind being in the gutter,” she said.

“Good. I don’t want that to be cured,” Slade said. The rest of the ride was a bit hazy, but he woke up with a fresh curse when he was being lifted again.

“Sorry,” he heard Slade say. “I’m going to try to keep you still.”

The movement had aggravated a few of the deeper wounds that started bleeding again, but nothing like before.

“Oh, my, what have you gotten yourself into, Master Richard?” Alfred’s voice asked and Robin opened his eyes a bit.

“A vent,” he explained simply.

“I’m really sorry, kid, I should have done it,” Selina told him as he was placed on a cold surface. Only now did Robin realize that they had driven straight into the Batcave and that he was now in the sick bay on the operating table. The table next to it was stocked with bandages, disinfectant and a few nasty looking needles on a stainless-steel tray.

“No, Selina, you had good reason to keep a distance,” Robin told her with a smile. “Besides, you taught me all I needed to know, I owe you for not being stuck in there,” he added.

“Still… I feel so guilty,” she told him sadly. “And I might not have been… completely honest about my motives.”

“What do you mean?” Robin asked softly, afraid of what he would hear.

“I left that life behind, as you know,” the woman sighed, “but sometimes… the urge is strong. I’ve realized that it’s a bit of an… addiction. The rush, you know? And I’m trying to get it in other ways, but some days, especially during this pandemic when so many things I would normally do, like the rock climbing center down town, is closed… the temptation has been worse than ever. It wasn’t as much a fear of being identified as a fear of falling back into my old ways that stopped me.”

Robin smiled. “Don’t worry. It makes sense, trust me, been there, done that. I’m in a similar situation, you know.”

“Selina, if you want to join forces with me…?” Batman offered.

“Thank you, dear, but if Bruce suddenly has a woman in his life and Batman starts showing up with a female partner, I think _most_ people would connect the dots,” she smiled. “And besides, if our plans, what we talked about, is going to come true… well, I don’t want the urge to run across roofs all night to be too strong. I’ll have more important things to focus on then.”

“OW!” Robin exclaimed, because Alfred had just decided to start tending to the patient.

In the end, he didn’t need stitches, tape was deemed enough. They had covered them in plastic, Slade had helped him shower and now Robin was sitting in his bed, feeling a bit silly about all the attention. Alfred had brought him a hearty snack, and, after asking permission, the tea of the day, as it was officially the twenty-third after all. Robin was sipping his cherry- and vanilla flavored green sencha tea and putting away sandwiches like he had never seen food before.

“We should leave you to get some rest, Master Richard,” Alfred said, more or less telling the people to scram. “I’ll have breakfast ready when you wake up. You’ll rest tomorrow, well… the rest of today, I assume it actually is, and then I’m sure you’ll feel better on Christmas Eve and we’ll have a big Christmas dinner. We’re having goose this year. The turkey can wait until Christmas Day.”

“Looking forwards to it,” Robin grinned. When they all turned to leave the room, however, he reached out and caught Slade’s wrist. “Stay?” he asked.

Slade hesitated and looked over at the others, almost like he was asking permission, something that was very unlike the mercenary.

Bruce nodded minutely as he put an arm around Selina and continued towards the door.

“I think it might be prudent if someone kept an eye on him, yes,” Alfred said. “Make sure he doesn’t develop a fever.”

Slade nodded and turned back towards Robin. “I’ll just shower and change,” he told the teen. He was still in uniform.

Robin gave him a smile and nodded.

He had finished eating and was trying to get comfortable when Slade came back and climbed into bed with him. Robin’s bed was slightly narrower than the one on the guest bedroom, but they both fit.

“No cuddling tonight, I assume,” the man teased him. Robin winced as he was still trying to lie down properly, but chuckled.

“Nope, it seems it’s flat on my back or nothing…” he said.

“Not a bad position for you normally,” the mercenary drawled.

“Shut up and kiss me good night, at least,” the teen snorted. The man did. “And these kinds of adventures, let’s not make them into a tradition?” he said.

“Let’s not,” the man agreed. “And Robin?”

“Hmm? Yes?”

“Thank you.”

_To be Continued…_


	24. Thursday, 24 December ~*Tales*~

Robin had, like Alfred had threatened, been forced to stay in bed all Wednesday. Slade seemed to have enjoyed the reversed roles to a degree. He hadn’t been allowed to do any school work, as they all wanted him to lie as flat and still as possible to allow the wounds to heal better. He had gotten pretty strong pain meds which had made him woozy, but also helped him sleep through most of the day.

He grunted as he woke up on Christmas Eve.

“Morning sunshine, how’s those pain levels?” Slade asked.

“Manageable,” Robin claimed. “I mostly feel sore.”

“Let’s take a look at those wounds, then, and then I’ll get you breakfast,” the man told him.

“I can go down to eat, can’t I?” Robin groaned. “Please?”

“I have to check with Alfred, I don’t dare make a decision like that” the man said, half jokingly, half _dead_ serious.

The man checked his wounds and nodded. “They look much more closed up now, I don’t think you’ll split them open, but I’ll go get Alfred,” he said. “Stay,” he added, as he left.

Robin snorted, but settled back against the pillows. He knew that if Alfred found him on his feet, he’d be sent straight back to bed for the rest of the day no matter how good his wounds looked. Alfred had a limited hold on Bruce when it came to these things, so he had always made sure Robin obeyed him to a T.

“How are you this morning, Master Richard?” the old man asked as he came in, followed by Slade carrying a breakfast tray.

“Much better, just a bit sore,” Robin smiled.

“Hmmm. Well. Mr. Wilson claims you need to stretch your muscles to help with the pain, so I guess that you can get out of bed today, if you’re careful. After breakfast that is. Would you like anything for the pain?”

“Not if they are the same as yesterday, they made me feel queasy,” Robin told him.

“Just normal pain killers,” Alfred nodded and headed into the bathroom to, assumingly, fetch the pills, while Slade settled the tray on Robin’s lap.

“Might be for the best, you got a bit strange yesterday,” the man teased him.

Robin blinked. “Strange, how?”

“You don’t remember? You babbled on about how sorry you were for hating me, and asked if I hated you for it.”

“Oh, shit…” Robin muttered, very embarrassed. “I’m sorry.”

“It was a bit entertaining too,” the man claimed evilly. “And I think we concluded that neither one of us hated the other, which is nice, isn’t it?”

The teen chuckled, still embarrassed, and nodded. He reached or his tea so he wouldn’t have to answer, and hoped against hope that he hadn’t started to gush at the man… It was black tea with wild strawberries. It was nice.

“Here you go,” Alfred said as he came out from the bathroom. He handed the teen a couple of headache pills and a glass of water. “I’ve tidied up in there and you should have a shower later, before dinner. And… you don’t have to dress for dinner. Wear something comfortable.”

“Alfred! You sound like I’m about to die, giving me that much leeway!” Robin jokingly exclaimed. “Are you saying I could come to dinner in a … bathrobe?”

The butler visibly flinched and looked pained.

“Yes, sir, of course,” he managed to say.

“Don’t worry, Al, I’d never do that to you,” Robin grinned.

“This is about your comfort level,” the old man insisted.

“You once made Bruce wear a tie to dinner when he was hurt.”

“Yes, well, I think a _certain_ amount of-”

“He was in a neck brace,” Robin pointed out.

“You just eat your breakfast, Master Richard,” Alfred told him firmly. “And Mr. Wilson will keep an eye on you today, as well. You’re not to do anything too strenuous.”

“Yes, Al, thank you,” Robin nodded.

When the butler had left, Slade joined him on the bed and stole some toast.

“You haven’t had breakfast?” Robin asked.

“Well, yes,” the man admitted. “The jam’s good, though.”

“I really think you will get fat if you stay here much longer,” Robin chuckled.

“Speaking of that…While I do adore Alfred and his food, I think we should go back to your apartment on boxing day,” Slade said.

“Oh, that’s great!” Robin exclaimed. “I was gonna ask, but I wasn’t sure… I mean… it’s much smaller... and Alfred isn’t there.”

“How much do you think it would take for him to come with us?” Slade asked with a grin.

“Well, if Bruce died…” Robin said, thoughtfully.

“I like the way you think.”

Robin snickered and then turned dead serious. “Shit, I forgot I was talking to an assassin. It was a joke, Slade, _not_ a contract, ok?”

“Sorry, a verbal contract is still valid.”

“There is no way to break it?”

“Yes, well, but that involved the signer to agree to a vast number of sexual favors for the contract holder.”

“Deal!” the teen grinned. “And I’d start right now, but I’m not sure I quite up for it,” he added dejectedly, lightly touching his covered wounds.

“Well, you’re off the hook. Until you have healed,” Slade generously said.

“You’re too kind.”

“Considering I’m giving up Alfred’s food, then yes.”

“There’s still Sunday dinners.”

“Alright, you’ve just sweetened the deal,” the man smirked.

“Hey!” Robin, who didn’t appreciate that his sexual favors didn’t outrank food, even Alfred’s.

Slade just chuckled. “You don’t mind going back, then?” he asked.

“No. It would be nice to be… alone,” Robin smiled at the man, and it wasn’t very innocent. “Besides, staying here for this long almost made me feel like I had moved back home… It was nice for a bit, but I want my life back.”

“Understandable,” the man nodded. “And besides, if we want something bigger, we could always-”

“No,” Robin said quickly.

“No?” Slade repeated, looking nonplussed.

“I… well, I’m living pretty much off Bruce now. We talked through all this before I started college and he didn’t think it made sense for me to take a loan, so he’s paid for pretty much everything. I have trust funds but those I won’t be able to access until I’m twenty-one. I don’t really have much when it comes to funds and-”

“But I have,” Slade interrupted.

“You don’t understand,” Robin said quickly, “I don’t want to be depended on anyone like this, and I don’t want to live in someone else’s apartment. It wouldn’t feel like mine, if I couldn’t contribute… and it wouldn’t feel safe, if… something happened.”

“Like if we broke up?”

“Yes… or something like that,” Robin sighed. “I chose my apartment because if I can get a somewhat ok job after college, then I can pay for it myself.”

“You’re the ward of a billionaire,” Slade pointed out. “You don’t really have to be frugal.”

“True. But he might soon have actual kids. I know I’m protected in his will, but I’m not, really, his heir. I’m not saying I won’t have funds, but I might not be swimming in it. And I’m ok with that. Bruce wanted to pay for a bigger apartment, he has no problem funding college, I actually think it makes him happy to do that for me, but…”

“You don’t want to be dependent.”

“Exactly. And, I mean, I’m not saying no to moving at some point, but for now, while I’m in college… I’d prefer not to, if that’s ok?”

“It is. I can always rent a place in the area to use as an office and a storage place,” Slade shrugged.

“And now I kinda feel bad. Of course you should be allowed to live in something that suits your standards better…” Robin muttered.

“My standards? You’ve seen some of my lairs, haven’t you?” the man snorted.

Robin thought about that. “You’re moving up in the world,” he then grinned.

“I’d say,” the mercenary chuckled.

“My bathroom actually has a door.”

“I was living alone, it wasn’t a priority,” the man said defending one of his more run down places.

“So… you’re staying with me, then?” Robin asked hopefully.

“If you’ll have me. If it turns out I’ll be too much in your way, I can get a place nearby.”

“I’d like you to be in my way. A lot,” the teen said, and actually blushed a bit.

“Then I will be,” the man promised, moved the tray out of the way, and kissed him. Robin moved to put his arms around the man, but winced as that pulled on a wound. Slade pulled back.

“No strenuous activities,” the man sighed.

“Yeah, it sucks…” Robin muttered. “But at least I’m allowed out of bed, and I really need the bathroom. Help me up?”

Not much later the man had helped him dress in soft sweats and was escorting him downstairs. Robin was surprised and even a bit worried about how sore he actually was, and he needed to take the steps carefully, one by one.

Once downstairs, Alfred fluttered around him for a moment, looking like he wanted to order him to get back in bed. Bruce and Selina had driven off to spend the day alone out of the house, apparently skiing as there was snow for once. They had both asked after him before leaving, however, but Alfred told Robin that he had ordered them not to disturb him.

Having the house to themselves was nice, but would be nicer, Robin felt, if he had been a bit more mobile. Slade helped him stretch and gave him a careful massage, all very innocent and only as a medical treatment. Boring, thought the teen, but knew he wouldn’t be able to offer anything, no matter how much he wanted to.

“What do you want to do for New Year’s?” he asked over a very light lunch consisting of chicken salad. It was tradition to save room for dinner.

“What had you planned to do?” Slade asked.

“Spend it here,” Robin said. “But if you want it to be just you and me…?”

“Maybe family should come first this year,” Slade chuckled. “We could come her for dinner and then leave the next morning?”

“You’re just in it for the food,” Robin snorted.

“No, no, I love Bruce, I’m going to miss him terribly after Christmas,” Slade deadpanned, making the teen burst out laughing.

He then couldn’t help but ask. “What do you really think of him?” He was a bit worried about the answer, but the mercenary snorted.

“He’s a good man. He has a lot of baggage and I honestly think that if he had just shot a couple of people he has been fighting, he would have been less messed up than he is. Selina won’t stand for any of his bullshit, though. They are a good match.”

Robin nodded. “Yeah. She’ll be good for him. I hope he doesn’t fuck it up.”

“I think he knows it’s his last chance with her. And he’s not stupid.”

“I wish you’d say such sweet things about me,” Robin muttered teasingly.

“You’re not stupid either,” Slade said generously, with a smirk.

“Awww! You love me!” Robin said, and then felt himself freeze. It had been meant as a joke but now it was hanging between them, as they were looking at each other. Slade looked away and stood up, starting to gather their empty plates.

“Yes, well, I don’t put up with the bat because I care about _him_ ,” he muttered.

Robin wasn’t sure if a heart could explode in a good way, but it very much felt like it. He stood up, rounded the table, made the mercenary put the dishes down and melted wordlessly into his arms. He never wanted to let go.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had goose,” Slade let them know during dinner that evening. They were all dressed to the teeth, even Robin, although he was wearing a very nice dark red sweater instead of a suit, to make it a bit easier on his wounds.

“I hope you’ll like it, Mr. Wilson,” Alfred told him with a smile as he served the man.

“Never met a bird I didn’t like,” the mercenary smirked, looking at Robin.

“So… Black Canary?” Bruce cut in, teasingly.

“Oh, I like her fine. Bit loud,” Slade shrugged.

“Raven?” Robin smirked.

“My second favorite Titan,” the man claimed.

Robin snorted, but looked too delighted to pull that attitude off.

After dinner they settled in the sitting room, all groaning that they were too stuffed for anything else. When Alfred served homemade treats, however, quite a lot of those mysteriously disappeared as well.

The old butler then entered the room with a box. “Traditionally,” he said, “the family tended to enjoy a few games on Christmas Eve. I was thinking, perhaps, something suitable would be in here.”

“As long as I don’t have to move,” Robin mumbled. He didn’t think he’d be able to stay awake for much longer.

They ended up having a good time playing cards and Jenga. Selina and Robin said a firm no to UNO, however, claiming that they didn’t want a war on their hands. Robin kept an eye on Slade, as ever worried that the family time would be too much for him, but the mercenary showed every sign of enjoying himself and the games, So the teen relaxed, allowing himself to enjoy it all fully as well.

It was late when they all decided to head to bed, and Robin was out like a light the moment his head hit the pillow. Or, Slade’s arm, as it were.

_To be Continued…_


	25. Friday, 25 Dec ~*Don’t. *~

“Merry Christmas,” Robin greeted the room with a smile. He had his arm around Slade, but he didn’t really need the support.

“Merry Christmas, Dick, how are you feeling?” Bruce asked. He was seated in one of the sofas in the sitting room, with Selina curled up against his side, looking very content. The expression involving the cat getting the cream came to mind, but Robin really, really didn’t want to think about that.

“A lot better,” he said. “A couple of more days and I’ll barely notice it. Slade doesn’t even think most of it will scar.”

“Splendid news. How about tea in here while we open presents and breakfast afterwards?” Alfred suggested.

Robin chuckled as he sat down in the other sofa, pulling Slade with him. He didn’t know why Alfred even made the suggestion, as that procedure was tradition and they did it every year, but he supposed that was tradition too.

He had been curious about the last tea of the calendar, and it turned out to be gingerbread flavored. It was good, he decided, though paired with an actual ginger break cookie, it was a bit too much.

“So, Master Richard, has this made a tea drinker out of you?” Alfred asked with a twinkle in his eye.

“Well, I don’t mind most of them, some I might actually buy, but I don’t know…” the teen chuckled. “I might not be British enough.”

“I obviously failed in your upbringing if that’s the case,” the old butler joked.

Alfred was the one passing out the presents, and soon they all had a little pile in front of them. Slade was surprised to see that he had gotten a present from Bruce. When he opened it, he was even more surprised to see a small electronic key fob.

“What is it?” Robin asked.

“It opens the Batcave,” Bruce explained. “Keyed to your fingerprints only, of course, Wilson. I thought you’d proven yourself to be enough of an alley. I expect you to only use it in an emergency, of course.”

“Well, thank you,” Slade said simply, and then added, “I got you a present too, but I dare say you’ve already opened it.” He gestured to Selina with a smirk.

“Pig,” Selina said with a chuckle. “But thank you, Slade, for contacting me. Lord knows this stubborn mule of a man wouldn’t take the first step.”

“You’re welcome. Consider Bruce your present from me too,” Slade chuckled.

Bruce looked like he wanted to be angry but couldn’t quite find it in him, and in the end chuckled as well, pulling Selina closer. They kissed, and Robin tried very hard not to say ‘eeeew’.

When it came time for Robin to open the present from Slade, there was none.

“Oh, right,” the man said and disentangled himself from the teen. “Just a moment, I have to go get it.”

A few minutes later he walked in, carrying a big cardboard box.

“It’s heavy,” he said, as he put it down on the sofa instead of in Robin’s outstretches hands. “And I didn’t bother to wrap it,” he added, sounding a bit apologetic.

“That doesn’t matter,” Robin hurriedly told him, just happy the man had actually gotten him something. He opened the box curiously and first couldn’t quite piece together what he was seeing. “This… what?” he said and then it clicked. “This… this is my required reading for my classes? All of it?” he said, looking up at the man.

“Should be, unless I forgot something.”

“But… how did you…?”

“You showed me the list, remember?”

“This… this will make things so much easier! Thank you!” Robin exclaimed, pulled the man down for a kiss. He had not looked forwards to hunting used books or library books just so he wouldn’t have to ask Bruce for more money. The value of the books in the box, all brand new by the looks of it, was more than he’d be able to scrape together at work for a very long time, so there was no way in hell he would have been able to buy them all.

“Well, I’d figure it’s practical,” the mercenary muttered, looking a bit embarrassed. Not nearly as embarrassed as when Alfred avidly thanked him for the selection of fine teas and traditional British Christmas treats, though. Robin had a feeling that Slade, then and there, decided not to buy another present for anyone, ever. Or at least not give it to them to their face. He chuckled at the man. Slade should feel lucky that his family was as small and as reserved as they were. What if this house had been filled with clingy children, who were demanding hugs and to sit in laps? The teen glanced over at Bruce and Selina. Maybe, one day soon, it would. 

“That was the best Christmas dinner ever,” Robin sighed blissfully to the room in general that evening. He and Slade were in one of the couches, Selina and Bruce were in the other, facing them, although Bruce was currently up to pour his girlfriend a glass of wine.

“I will never need to eat again,” Selina claimed and absentmindedly reached for a bowl of homemade toffee.

Alfred was sitting in an armchair, beaming at them. They had all cleaned up after dinner, making the old man sit down with some tea. Robin suspected that Alfred would clean the kitchen again a bit later to make sure it was properly done, however.

They spoke of this and that for a while, mostly Robin and Bruce, until Robin noticed that Slade wasn’t chiming in. He looked over at the man and grinned.

“I think he’s asleep,” he whispered.

“These two as well,” Bruce said softly and indicating Selina and Alfred.

“Did you drug them?” Robin chuckled.

Bruce chuckled as well. “I’m not far behind them. But… this might be as good a moment as ever. I’d like to speak to you, Richard.”

The serious tone made the teen nervous, but he nodded. “Of course… what about?”

“Let’s leave them to nap,” the man said, and carefully stood up. Robin followed him and fell into step with the man. They didn’t seem to be heading anywhere in particular, but Bruce paused when they arrived at the picture gallery, which had paintings of the Wayne family going back hundreds of years, since long before they ever arrived in America.

“I wanted to speak to you about a few things…” he said.

“Will I like what you have to say?” Robin asked guardedly.

“Partly.”

“Is it about Slade and I?”

“Partly.”

“About you and Selina?”

“Partly.” This time the man grinned slightly.

“Well, maybe you should just start,” Robin couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Slade and you… have you discussed… any sort of future?”

“Partly,” Robin answered with a grin of his own. Then he shrugged. “He claims he wants to stick around. We’ll go back to my place tomorrow, as you know and… we’ll see.”

“Are you worried that he’ll… hurt you, again?”

“He didn’t hurt me the first time,” Robin pointed out. “Not intentionally. But, of course, we’re… different. We were more similar, in a way, when I was a hero. I’m worried he’ll be… bored.”

“You might meet someone as well,” Bruce pointed out. “Someone with… more clear morals. Someone your own age. Someone who has no connection to the world of heroes and villains. It would make it easier.”

“It would, in a way, but who the hell wants it easy?” Robin chuckled. He couldn’t hear anything in the man’s voice that suggested that Bruce thought, or would demand, that he broke it off with the mercenary, so he didn’t get defensive.

“Right,” the man agreed, with a small smile. “I’m glad, though… that you have been talking about a future together, considering what I’m about to tell you.”

“Ok, you’re scaring me a bit…” Robin said worriedly.

“I’m retiring Batman.”

“W-what?” Robin gaped.

“It’s the right choice. Selina and I… we’re going to start a family,”

“She’s pregnant?!”

Bruce smiled widely now, more warmly than Robin thought he’d ever seen him smile. “No. No, not as far as we know. But soon, we’re hoping. We’re getting married too. Valentine’s Day. Cheesy, but… it felt right.”

“Wow… wow…” Robin said. “This is… a lot.”

“You don’t… object?” The worry in the man’s voice was very real, and very vulnerable.

“Of course not! This is great! This is amazing! But you’re sure… about the Batman stuff?”

“Yes. To be that absent, exposing myself to that kind of danger… that wouldn’t be fair to Selina and any children we might have. Besides, I’m not getting any younger.”

“It’s been your life’s work, though…” Robin said, just wanting to make sure the man had really thought things through. “For me… I felt guilty, as you know. Still do sometimes… that I’m not out there.”

“I understand. I have plans, though. Plans to reroute funds into projects that will make Gotham safer again. Plans for kids and youth, for struggling families, educations, jobs… as a private person I can do a lot that politicians can’t do, and if there needs to be political involvement, well I have contacts. And I can get into that business too, if I have to. But… I worry about the gap Batman will leave behind. He is a symbol for the city and he has, indivertibly, created very powerful enemies. Enemies Bruce Wayne can’t fight. Gotham… it might need a Batman.” Bruce gave the teen a very serious look.

Robin swallowed. “Yes, I… I know. And, I know you trained me, but… Bruce, I’m so sorry, but I’m not sure that world-”

“Oh, no, I know,” Bruce hurriedly interrupted. “I’m delighted that you left the hero-world, I never want to see you hurt again. I was thinking about… Slade.”

Robin took a step backwards in shock. He stuttered for a bit before finding the words. “S-Slade? What… why… I….?”

“I know, I know,” Bruce said, raising his hands. “It sounds insane, but there’s a method to the madness. Slade is who he is. He’s not, I think you agree, someone who will just settle down in any kind of job. Speaking to Selina and you about your experiences leaving this kind of life behind, in preparation of doing so myself, I’ve realized that it will be tough. For Slade… I think it will be impossible. And then… he’s going to hurt you. One way or another. Longer and longer missions, being restless when he’s here… and I don’t blame him, I think it’s only natural. If he agrees to it, he’ll be allowed to change the character, of course. I don’t expect him to become ‘me’… honestly, sometimes I think a bit more ruthlessness might be what this city needs. Just don’t tell him I said so.”

“He’d love to hear that though…” Robin grinned. Then he started laughing. He was close to hysterics before he finally managed to pull himself together. “I… I need to be there when… when you ask him…” he gasped.

“Actually, I don’t think you should,” Bruce told him firmly. I need to have a very serious and honest conversation with him, and I’m not sure you need to hear that.

“I just want to see the look on his face,” Robin pleaded.

“I’ll tell you all about it. Do you think he’ll say yes?”

Robin hesitated. “I honestly have no idea. I think his first reaction will be no. There is no way he would like to be ‘Batman’. But if you explain your thinking behind it… maybe. Maybe.” Robin said. 

“Do you want him to say yes?”

Robin hesitated. “Yes. But, no offense, he needs to be completely independent from you, somehow. From your input, your money… there is no way he’ll work for you, probably not even _with_ you, not for long at least. If you can think up a way that that will somehow work…?”

“How far do you think Alfred’s cooking will get me?”

“Probably pretty far, to be honest,” Robin grinned. “You might even get him to wear the suit with that in the deal…” 

“So, I have your blessing to ask him, then?”

“Yes. And… good luck. You’ll need it,” Robin let him know.

When they returned both Slade and Selina had woken up, both looking a little sheepish. Alfred was still snoring softly in his chair, and someone, most likely Selina, had put a blanket over him.

“We thought you both decided to leave us at the same time,” Selina joked.

“And leave Alfred with you? Not a chance,” Robin grinned.

“Slade, may I have a word?” Bruce asked.

The mercenary frowned, looking defensive. Robin went up to him and kissed him. He didn’t say anything, though, as he didn’t want to sway the man one way or the other. It needed to be his decision.

As the men left, Selina gave him a look.

“So… what do you think?”

“About what, because the you and Bruce thing is fantastic, congratulations,” he grinned. “The Slade filling in for Batman… it sounds a bit too good to be true. But we’ll see.”

It took two hours for the men to come back. By that time Alfred had woken up and been very embarrassed. He had served them tea and snacks although Selina and Robin had almost begged him not to. They had, after the first half hour had passed, been increasingly worried about their significant others. They had told each other that going to try to find them would just make things worse, however. That this was something they had to work through themselves.

When they finally walked into the room, Robin almost expected them to be bruised and disheveled but, apart from looking serious, they didn’t seem to be at each other’s throats in any way.

Robin and Selina both shot to their feet when the men entered, looking as nervous as someone waiting for news about a loved one’s surgery. Slade walked up to Robin.

“I won’t be wearing the cape. Or the stupid bat ears,” he told him, and then added, with a small grim. “But I might keep the car.”

_The End… but the story will return on New Year’s for one, last installment._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you’ve enjoyed the story! As I’m writing this it’s the 29’th of November 2020. I have no idea how this will be received, and I don’t know if you have picked up on the extra little treat in the chapter titles, or if you have thought it was just a weird mistake… 😉
> 
> Put together, it reads:
> 
> “That’s the lesson  
> of life, isn’t it?  
> It gives us one  
> person who both,  
> shows us that  
> true love exists  
> and that fairy tales don’t.”
> 
> It’s written by Leo Christopher, and when I was looking for something for the chapters, I knew I wanted something with 25 words. And this was perfect. If you are anything like me, you would have looked it up the moment you realized that something was going on and gotten enough of it to google, but… yeah 😉
> 
> If you are still here, please leave a review and tell me what you thought of the story now when you’ve read it all… and I’ll see you for New Year’s.


	26. Thursday, 31 December 2020

Robin woke up slowly with a big smile on his face. He and Slade had finally done it for real last night. Several times. Just to make sure things were properly done, the man had claimed. It had been amazing and long overdue, but Robin’s wounds were finally healed enough so that no tape was needed. It would still be a while before they would be completely healed over, but at least he could move a whole lot more freely, something he hoped the man had appreciated. He reached over towards the other side of the bed, thinking that maybe they could do with a rehearsal. The side was empty.

Robin sat up and looked around. No Slade. His side of the bed was cold. For a moment an equally cold fist squeezed his heart, but then he heard a sound that he had never appreciated as much as he did that moment; the toilet flushing. Then the tap in the bathroom turned on and a little bit later Slade walked in through the door. Completely naked.

“Already up?”

“Yup,” Robin said. “And getting more up by the second,” he added with a leer, gesturing to his crotch, which was starting to pitch a tent under the sheets.

“You’re going to wear me out. I’ll fall asleep before midnight and Bruce will tease me,” Slade complained jokingly and then he was suddenly on top of the teen. “But let him tease,” he added.

“Yeah, you better make it up to me, letting me wake up alone,” Robin said. It had been meant as a joke, but something must have given him away, because Slade narrowed his eye.

“You didn’t think…?” the man asked.

“Just for a second!” Robin defended himself. “Stupid, stupid brain, remember?”

“Maybe you weren’t ready for-” the mercenary started, and withdrew a little.

“Hell yes, I was!” Robin claimed, grabbing him again. “It just… brought back some memories.”

“I’ll be there next time,” the man said seriously.

The teen chuckled.

“I think it’s actually better if you make sure _never_ to be in the room when I wake up. Get me used to it.”

The man chuckled as well. “You might be right. Sooo… need me to help you take your mind off things?”

“Yes please,” the teen grinned.

They had breakfast late, when Robin claimed that he now felt suitably distracted, but also hungry. The teen had only recently stopped looking around for his tea calendar in the morning, that habit had been hard to kick. He was having coffee, and grimacing a little bit, as did Slade.

“I won’t allow you to bring money into this, but I’m getting a proper coffee maker. If you feel better about it, you can contribute with coffee now and then,” Slade told him.

“Not gonna object,” Robin grinned. He was checking the news on his phone and suddenly gasped. “Slade, look at this! Pedophile ring exposed! Is this ‘our’ people?”

“I would think so,” the man said, grinning evilly. “Happy New Year to them. I need to make sure they got them all, though,” he said, starting to stand up.

Robin put a hand on his arm. “Can that wait until after New Years?” he asked. “I don’t want them to take you away from me any more than they already have right now.”

The man smiled at him and sat down, kissing him in the process. “Of course,” he agreed. “They will have fun in prison, I’m sure. I’m glad Bruce’s morals are as… flexible, as they are,” he added.

“I think it’s hilarious that both of you complain about the other person’s morals,” Robin snorted.

“Not complaining, in my case. He wouldn’t let me kill them, but they still end up dead. Suffering more, most likely.”

“It was a… compromise…” the teen claimed, a bit uncomfortably. He knew Bruce had a dark side, and an idea of justice that wasn’t always completely… reasonable. He hadn’t challenged this, however, because, to be honest, he thought the people would get what they deserved. He guessed his own morals were rather twisted too.

“Sooo…” Robin asked, carefully, after a while. He didn’t want to pry, but Slade was already looking at him suspiciously, so he might as well spit it out. “Are all the details sorted through now?”

Slade and Bruce had spent a lot of time together, at the mansion and digital meetings, going through details of a contract they had both decided upon, A one year contract, to start.

“Mostly,” the mercenary said. “Bruce wants me to actually be Batman for a while, with a full face mask, of course, but hey, it’s corona times, people won’t speculate too much.”

“But… do you have to? Won’t that be… weird?”

“Very. But yes. Just like Selina was right about her joining Batman would be suspicious if Bruce got in a serious relationship at the same time, so would Batman disappearing when Bruce Wayne marries be. So, I’m going to bridge a certain gap and then the Bat either dies or changes. We’re not sure yet. Eventually, however, I’ll take up a persona of my own. I have no wish to be Batman 2.”

“And you can’t be Deathstroke either, can you?” Robin said.

“No, too many people know who I am. I had no reason to protect my identity that carefully before. I have now.” The man said it in a very matter-of-fact way, but Robin melted inside and let it show. “Don’t look like that, you remind me of a dumb puppy,” the man snorted.

“Well, you fucked me silly,” the teen grinned. “I wonder if there’s something I can take for that? Anally?”

The man snorted so badly that he choked on a dry piece of toast, and Robin couldn’t help but snicker evilly.

They spent most of the day in bed, not just fucking, but touching, talking, not getting enough of each other. Eventually it was time to shower and get dressed for New Year’s dinner at the mansion, however.

“You look damn good in a tux,” Robin told the man as he had finished dressing.

“I’m not even looking at you, or we’ll never leave this place,” Slade said.

“Would that be so bad?”

“I’d like to say no, but I’ll miss Alfred’s lobster dinner,” the man told him with a playful whine.

“Ok, ok, let’s go. You drive, that way you’ll keep your eye on the road,” the teen told him.

Hours later they were standing, champagne in hand, looking out over Gotham City as the clock crept closer to midnight.

“So, what are you grateful for this year?” Bruce asked them. They all turned to stare at him like he was some kind of monster. “I know, I know,” he said, raising his hands. “This year has been… interesting. But surely there must be silver linings?”

“I’m grateful to have a bit more of a goal in life,” Robin said. “And for this,” he added, tightening his one arm-hold on Slade.

“I second that,” Slade agreed. “I’m also thankful for every morsel of food Alfred puts on my plate,” he added.

“What are you thankful for, Bruce?” Robin asked curiously.

“Apart from the obvious,” the man said, smiling at a Selina who was _not_ drinking champagne, even though Robin didn’t want to pry into why right now, “I have to say that I’m very grateful for a year without those dreadful parties. When the virus is finally gone, I think we’ll keep that up. At least very much reduced.”

“On the other hand, now you’ll have me there with you,” Selina smiled.

“That will make it more bearable. So, what are you grateful for?”

“You, of course. The future,” the woman smiled. “Oh, and Alfred’s food,” she said, toasting the butler with whatever she had in her glass. “What was the best about this year for you?” she asked the old man.

“Oh, I don’t quite know, Miss Kyle,” the old man said. “I have a feeling we have our biggest blessings in front of us.”

As the stroke of midnight drew even closer, Robin, who was just a tiny, tiny bit tipsy, noticed that Bruce and Selina only had eyes for each other and would most likely kiss at midnight. He therefore pulled Slade into another room that also had a gorgeous view over the city. He didn’t know if the man would want to do something as common as kiss him at midnight, but either way he didn’t want anyone to see. It was… private. He wanted this moment alone with him. Fireworks were exploding here and there, but as the grandfather clock out in the other room started to strike midnight, the whole sky seemed to lit up. It was the city of Gotham who had decided to put on a display on their own, to try to cheer up their citizens. There were those who objected to ‘burning up the money’ and Robin had somewhat been on that side, but seeing the display now, it somehow seemed fitting. They _needed_ to celebrate that this year was over. He just hoped people were careful about it. He didn’t have a whole lot of time to watch the fireworks, because he was about to experience some of his own, as the man by his side pulled him close and kissed him deeply. 2020 was over. 2021 would bring its own challenges, this whole thing was far from over yet, but the future, somehow, still looked so much brighter.

_The End…. Or…?Nope, here’s a look into the future!_

** Tuesday, 31 December 2024 **

“Uncle Robin! Uncle Slade! Come look! Hurry! Hurry!”

“Take it easy there, Tommy,” Robin laughed at the excited three-year old. “We’re coming, we just need to hand these bags over to Alfred, OK?”

“Ok, Ok, just hurry!” the kid said and ran away.

“Oh-oh,” Slade suddenly said behind him. “I’m trapped, I’m afraid. Go on without me.”

Robin turned around and burst out laughing. Two-year-old Maria had thrown her arms around one of the former mercenary’s legs, smiling up at him widely. She was a bit of a quiet girl, not at all as boisterous as her brother, at least not yet, but she seemed to have taken a liking to Slade from the day she was born. Robin had expected the man to keep his distance from the children, but Slade had surprised him. The man had a very good hand with them, and sometimes Robin wondered if he would dare to ask if _they_ could perhaps, eventually, consider… but no, at least not yet. Besides, he had something more important to ask later.

Slade rearranged what he was carrying, and then picked up the little girl as well, who started talking to him quietly.

“You’re making me jealous,” Robin grinned at them. “Hello Al, happy New Year!”

“Indeed, Master Richard. Master Bruce and Selina asked to see you in the drawing room before you go gawk at Master Thomas’ trainset.”

“Of course, where do you want these?” Robin asked, putting down the emergency shopping they had been asked to do. The shopping list was very strange, a mix of ice cream, pickles, eggs and chocolate.

“I’ll take care of it, now off you go,” the butler ordered them.

“Are you coming?!” Tommy hollered at them from the hallway.

“Now, Master Thomas, use your indoor voice, please!” Alfred told him sternly.

“Sorry Alfred,” the boy answered demurely, looking properly chastened. “But you have to hurry!” he added, louder again.

“We have to go see your mom and dad first, ok? For just a second,” Robin said, and took the little boy’s hand.

“Okaaaaay…” he groaned and came along with them.

“Happy New Year!” Robin called out as he entered the sitting room.

“Happy New Year, Richard. Oh, you brought Wilson. Still together, then?” Bruce said, but with a grin. It was basically the way he greeted them every time they saw each other, which, after all, was often.

“Yes, yes, he keeps hanging around for the Sunday lunches…” Robin sighed, and then grinned at the man in question.

It had been a great couple of years. Not always easy, of course, far from a fairy tale. They were both stubborn, willful and independent, and when Robin had been stressing extra much about school or Slade had had another row with Bruce over his job, it had been tough. They respected and cared for each other enough so that they always found their way back to one another after the storm passed, however. They learned how to compromise, when to give each other space, and Robin honestly thought he loved Slade more now than he did four years ago.

Robin was now a manager for a youth center which focused on troubled kids. It was a city-funded one, not one of Bruce’s, and the young man preferred it that way. He knew that he had most likely gotten the position because of the sliver of fame his name as the ward of the city’s biggest philanthropist would give that place, but he also had the degree to back it up, in psychology and social studies. He couldn’t exactly put experience with being in charge of a team of super heroes on his resumé, but his old days as a Teen Titan really helped towards his experience dealing with teenagers. He was young enough to be somewhat accepted by the teens, and tough enough to earn respect that way. 

Slade also had a day job. It had started more or less for tax reasons, a way to explain to the government what he was doing for a living and how he could afford the things he owned. He was a freelancing security consultant. He set his own hours, chose his own clients, and charged a fortune. He was, however, very sought after. Of course, he also had his night job. Batman was no more; two years ago the persona had officially passed the torch on to a figure in black and grey who the media soon named The Stalker. Slade, who had refused to offer them a name for himself, though Robin had suggested amazingly great ones like ‘Night Stroke”, complete with a special gesture, or “Color-Blind Man” based on his muted suit, had accepted the name with a shrug. It could have been worse, he had said, giving Robin a very level look. Robin had made Night Stroke’s secret hand signal back at him, and a chase through the small apartment had ensued, ending happily for them both.

“Happy New Year,” Selina smiled at them, and Bruce came over, handing Slade a brandy and reaching out for his daughter, who, however, refused to leave Slade’s arms.

“So, you wanted to see us? Tommy is very excited about something,” Robin grinned. 

“Oh, yes, Tommy, maybe you want to tell them?” Selina said to his son.

“I got a train set!” the tyke announced happily.

“Yeeees… but... remember that other thing we told you this morning?” Selina prompted.

“Oh. Yeah… we’re getting a brother or sister!” the kid let them know. “Now, can we look at my train set? Please?”

“Congratulations!” Robin beamed. “Another one?”

“Way to contribute to the over population,” Slade snorted, but raised his glass to the couple.

“To be honest this one was a bit of an… oops,” Selina let them know, “But a happy little oops, anyway.”

“I think I just understood the odd shopping list…” Robin said.

“Yeah… I’m already a bit further along than when we have known about these things before,” she said, putting a hand on a stomach which was hidden under the folds of a regency style dress. “Simply because we didn’t know about the… oops. I just realized the other day that I wanted pickles and… well,” she shrugged, looking a bit foolish. 

“Well, I’m really happy for you,” the former hero smiled.

Much later, it approached midnight again. The kids had fallen asleep and the two couples did something that had now become tradition; each couple moved to separate rooms to watch the fireworks as the clock struck twelve. There had never been another grand New Year’s party at the manor. Bruce and Selina had compromised with a small Christmas party before the holidays, but the holidays themselves were now strictly for family.

Robin was nervous, his heart beating.

“Slade?” he said, just as the man turned to him.

“R-” the man started, but then realized his partner had started talking. “Yes?” he added.

“I… I just wanted to say… these past few years… they have been amazing. And, and you might think this is unnecessary or… stupid, but I’ve been thinking a lot about it and-” Robin suddenly sank down on one knee, holding up an unadorned platinum ring. “Slade-will-you-marry-me!?” he almost spluttered.

The man looked down on him with a very strange expression on his face. He was quiet for probably not more than a few seconds, but it felt like years. Robin was sure, by then, that he’d laugh at him, and say no.

“Of course.”

“Oh. Wait… really?” Robin said.

“Yes,” Slade repeated, with a smile this time, and the young man flew into his arms as the clock struck midnight and fireworks from the city lit up the room.

They kissed and then, unexpectedly, Alfred appeared in the room with a tray with two flutes of champagne on it.

“Congratulations!” the man beamed.

“Al?” Robin said. Looking nonplussed. “How did you-?” he then spotted a reflection of Slade in the window, making an urgent ‘stop’ gesture to the man, and looked back in confusion. “Slade?” he asked.

“I’m sorry… did I make a mistake? Mr. Wilson?” Alfred said, looking worried.

“Not at all, Al, not at all,” the former mercenary sighed and then chuckled. “Robin just… beat me to it.”

“I… what?” the young man still didn’t understand, and he was getting increasingly anxious about it.

Slade then fished out a ring from his own pocket. It was eerily similar to the one Robin had picked for him. The man held it out and looked a bit sheepish. Robin gaped at it, looked from the man to the butler, and then broke down laughing.

“You… you utter BASTARD!” he almost cried. “I WAS SO DAMN SCARED!”

“What is going on, are you two finally breaking up?” Bruce asked from the door, Selina on his arm.

“Quite the opposite, ‘ _dad_ ’. Robin just proposed to me, and I said yes,” Slade announced, sounding very smug about it. Robin was still not able to properly breathe and had just collapsed against the man’s chest, alternatively laughing and crying happy tears.

“Congratulations,” Selina beamed. “This needs to be celebrated!”

“Yeah,” Robin agreed, wiping his face, “But if you two don’t mind, I think we’ll wait with celebrating it with other people until tomorrow. Good night! Happy New Year!” he said and started to drag the man away.

“I hope you have nothing lewd in mind, dear,” Slade told him airily. “I am not that kind of man! Not before our wedding night!”

“I think I might be able to make you change your mind on that one,” Robin grinned over his shoulder. 

“Well, you can try,” Slade agreed. “I’m sure I’d appreciate the effort.”

“You’d better,” the young man laughed. 2025 was looking rather good right now.

_The End_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: NOW it’s done. I hoped you enjoyed the peek into the future! Are there going to be any Sladin stories in 2021? I sure hope so! Suggestions/plot bunnies are always welcome. “What if” scenarios or situations you’d like to see, dark or light, let me know! You never know what might give birth to a plot bunny…

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: to repeat what I said at the top:  
> There’s no need to review every day, but please let me know that you’re here and reading, that would make me very happy!
> 
> There will be no other A/N’s until the last chapter. I really hope you’ll enjoy this story and that it will be a little moment of joy in your day up to Christmas, no matter if or what you celebrate. Hearing from you will, hopefully, be MY moment of joy.   
> All the best!  
> /Wynja


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